Have you ever been in dire need of a tissue? Your nose is running and you can't find any acceptable substitute for a tissue. The snot is beginning to run down from your nose onto your upper lip, and you have no choice but to wipe your nose on your sleeve despite whoever's watching (because you'd rather be seen wiping your nose on your sleeve than with gooey mucous all over your face)?

No, this didn't happen to me today. It was just something I was thinking about for some reason.

I watched a bit of Sesame Street today before going to work. There's been a new little thing they've been doing lately. Popular bands (or, more usually, bands whose fame is fading) come and parody one of their own songs and sing it with a bunch of Muppets. Today it was REM. Now, Michael Stipe has always looked really scary to me. I like REM's music (even if I think they are becoming too pretentious), but their lead man looks like a freak. He's bald, heroin-thin, and moves like he's a marionette with a drunken puppeteer working him.

Of course, maybe I'm just insane. I think Midnight Oil's lead singer (Peter Garrett) is pretty sexy, and he looks almost identical to Michael Stipe, except Garrett's about a foot and a half taller.

Anyway, REM was on singing a version of their song "Shiny Happy People." They danced around with a bunch of Muppets singing "Furry happy monsters laughing..." Then the song shifted, and the monsters started crying. The lyrics changed to "Sobbing sighing monsters feeling sad..." And the monsters were boohoo-ing and the bassist gave one a hug and it was sad.

Then Stipe pauses, holds up his hands and says, "Hey, monsters! You don't have to be sad!" and the monsters got happy again and started dancing and bopping around and singing the "happy" part of the song again.

I thought it seemed very surreal.

I couldn't tell if the boys from REM were having a good time, or if they thought this was supremely silly and were secretly hoping that their friends and their friends' children never saw this episode. I hope the former.

Sesame Street, I feel, is a Must-See for any adult. Even the "main story" with the folks from Sesame Street can put you back in a good frame of mind. Their problems seem simple, but remember when their problems were your problems? Big Bird can't find anyone to walk around the block with him. Telly can't tie his shoes. Baby Bear loves to play with his father's hat, but his dad needs the hat back. Everyone gets together to build a model boat to sail, but Oscar fills the boat with marbles so it will sink. (Because, of course, grouch boats are supposed to sink.)

I'm glad that everyone finally found out Snuffie is real. I wish Mr. Hooper was still alive. I wish they would show more Guy Smiley stuff. I like him. I like The Count, too. (And I wish it would lightening and thunder when I counted to 10. "One two three four five six seven eight nine TEN! boom flash crash Hahahahaa!") And, of course, I wish that Ernie and Bert would come out of the closet already.

And then "Elmo's World" came on and I turned off the TV. I hate that little, red, sorry-excuse-for-dryer-lint monster. He's taken up the entire last twenty minutes of Sesame Street. Elmo wants to learn more about hats. Elmo wants to learn more about eating. Elmo wants to learn more about books. Elmo wants to learn more about water. Does Elmo want to learn more about the bottom of my hiking boots?

I hope so. I'll be more than happy to show him.

I got money exchanged into Canadian currency today. I had to drive into Akron to do it, though. Ick. Oh well, I now have something to spend. The directions on how to care for the animals are written out. I've decided not to bother doing the dishes and to just concentrate on getting ready to actually leave. Aurora's cage needs cleaned, and I need to do laundry, but other than that I'm doing ok.

Soon soon soon!