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

Here it is, practically the eve of the Oscars, and I've yet to see two of the five movies nominated for best picture. I didn't care for No Country; I liked but did not absolutely love Juno. So far, my money's on There Will Be Blood, which was not only a magnificent film but the richest evocation of loneliness and megalomania I've watched since Citizen Kane.

Typically, it is heat that frightens me. Perhaps this is because I grew up in Minnesota, but sweltering temperatures seem more sinister — thick and canopy-like and unavoidable — whereas cold has always struck me as surmountable. Until now.

For a Jewish Gen X'er, I have a strangely regressive Protestant work ethic. For instance, I tend to feel guilty when I have fun while I'm on the job. And after last Thursday at Thomas Liquors -- let me tell you -- my conscience is simply awash.

I spend more time in the Byerly's wine store than you might think. No, it doesn't have the shop-on-the-corner charm of Hennepin-Lake or Solo Vino or Sam's. It