The daily digest of Twin Cities culture | Secrets of the City

Thin are the night-skirts left behind
By daybreak hours that onward creep,
And thin, alas! the shred of sleep
That wavers with the spirit's wind:
But in half-dreams that shift and roll
And still remember and forget,
My soul this hour has drawn your soul
A little nearer yet.

Our lives, most dear, are never near,
Our thoughts are never far apart,
Though all that draws us heart to heart
Seems fainter now and now more clear.
To-night Love claims his full control,
And with desire and with regret
My soul this hour has drawn your soul
A little nearer yet.

Is there a home where heavy earth
Melts to bright air that breathes no pain,
Where water leaves no thirst again
And springing fire is Love's new birth?
If faith long bound to one true goal
May there at length its hope beget,
My soul that hour shall draw your soul
For ever nearer yet.

—Dante Gabriel Rossetti (May 12, 1828-April 9th,1882)

Happy Birthday, Dante!

COMMUTING
The Great Commuter Challenge

It's Bike Walk Week — a celebration of biking and walking on both sides of the river. Start your week and your day off with a race of sorts, perhaps even a living breathing commentary on urban congestion. Choose a mode of transportation — car, bike, bus, or feet (personally, I'd like to see some more creative endeavors) — and join the travelers at Merriam Park Community Center for a 7:40 a.m. departure. Or simply welcome their arrival to the Minneapolis Central Library after 8 a.m. — and put your bets in now for the level of sweatiness you'll encounter. Minneapolis Mayor RT Rybak will travel by bike. Ramsey County Commissioner Toni Carter will combine foot and transit power. And, well, (I can't help but be amused by this) Strib transportation/commuting reporter Lea Schuster and Strib Roadguy blogger Jim Foti will be traveling by car. And that's not all: they must run errands as well. All contestants must pick up a Wall Street Journal and tickets to Bedlam Theatre’s Romeo and Juliet, and return a book to the Central Library. Who will make the finish line first? Could it be you?

7:40 a.m., begins at the Merriam Park Community Center, 2000 Saint Anthony Ave., Saint Paul; ends between 8:15 and 8:30 a.m. at the Central Library outdoor plaza, 300 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis.


SPECIAL EVENT
Goth Prom V: Contrivance, dues ex machina.

Last year, over 900 people attended the Goth Prom. This year, don't miss out on the fun. "Contrivance promises to be the ultimate prom experience, one designed specifically for those that are able to appreciate the diversity within the subcultures present in the Minneapolis/St Paul area." Feel left out or restricted by your own prom? Now you can experience the fun. (Or was it even fun back then?) Get decked out, and enjoy the crowds, the wild attire, two-for-one drinks from 9-11 p.m., and some rippin' good music by DJs Oxygen and Nitrogen. (And Geeks, don't worry; they'll be another prom for you soon, too.)

9 p.m. - 3 a.m., The Saloon, 9th and Hennepin Ave., Downtown Minneapolis; no cover.

^{ALERT: If you cannot cope with same sex couples, stay the hell away.}


FILM
Happy 40th Anniversary, 2001!

In celebration of the 40 years since Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey, the Heights Theatre is showing the 1968 masterpiece, digitally remastered in 70mm, a project of Kubrick's before his death in 1999. This historical depiction of the future raised many questions as to the existance of life and the mysteries of science and space. And who doesn't love a bunch of monkeys dancing around a mysterious monolith? Follow man from his pre-historic ape-man status, when he first uses tools to conquer his environments — into the present day (the future, at the time the film was made), when man has set out to conquer space, and perhaps even life itself. —Hannah Simpson

3:50 & 7:10 p.m., Heights Theatre, 3951 Central Ave. NE, Columbia Heights; $8.