Homemade: Ernie and Cookie

It's fun to see what other folks do with their love of Sesame Street and our favorite best friends, so I have decided to devote the next few Fridays to homemade Sesame Street. A quick perusal of YouTube shows that many people like to take scenes, songs, and characters to make their own little videos. Many of these videos (while funny) are not really appropriate for the tone of this blog, but there are several that are simply fun little homages to childhood.

Many of us have favorite songs from the Sesame Street records, but we have not been able to match them up with clips from the actual show. Here Joe gives us one of his illustrations as a backdrop for a favorite song. It's a simple but sweet visual way to capture a recording.

Happy Birthday, Ernie!!!

Today is Ernie's birthday. I spent a bit of time thinking about what I might get Ernie for his birthday if I had the chance. I don't think a guy like Ernie needs much for several reasons: (1) he lives in a one-bedroom apartment in New York City and has very little room for stuff, (2) he's an active type who seems as if he would appreciate experiences more than material things, (3) he kind of looks like he has everything he needs--Rosie the bathtub, a good drum set, and his rubber duckie.

I suppose if I were to get Ernie a gift, I might go along the lines of duckie-themed items. Perhaps a nice birthday cake.

He might feel weird, however, devouring his naked self, so maybe just one with a duckie.

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Maybe he's looking for a duckie moo moo.

He might be interested in a river full of duckies.

Or the world's largest duckie.

On the other hand, and in keeping with the idea that he might prefer a birthday "experience," I say maybe we go for Ernie-Bert 2016, as the people at this website suggested.

Probably, however, the best birthday gift I could get for Ernie is the one he already has.

Therapy

After a particularly frustrating couple of days in the real world, I am tempted to find a clip in which Bert gets so angry at Ernie that his head explodes. I feel like a Bert whose head could explode at any moment. I have realized, however, that I should not take out my frustration on Ernie, who is my favorite. Besides, Bert gets frustrated at Ernie because Ernie is exuberant and messy, not because he is incompetent and lazy.

With this enlightenment circling my nearly exploded head, I have instead chosen to embrace something that makes me feel good. This song is one of my favorites. It captures Ernie's most endearing qualities: his desire for adventure and his love of his own life and the people in it. It makes me happy, and happy is what I need.

Teeny Tiny's Travel Tuesdays: Florence from Above

Sadly, we're going to have to move on from the Florence pictures after this week, but I think it has become apparent that Teeny Tiny would live in Florence if he could. Before he left town, Teeny Tiny made sure to climb both Giotto's Campanile and the Duomo so that he could get one last look from above at his favorite Italian city. Halfway up the big tower, he found a big bell.

The Campanile provided great views.



Santa Croce.



It also offered a nice view of the big dome.



Next on the climbing agenda was the big dome itself.






During his climb to the lantern of the Duomo, Teeny Tiny checked the walls to see if he knew any of the names illicitly Sharpied on them in defiance of the multitude of signs.



He also made sure to get a good look at the interior of the cathedral before finishing the climb.



He was pleased by his proximity to the Last Judgment.



Cerberus gave him a bit of a fright.



Almost at the top, he sneaked a look out the window at the Campanile.



The long climb was worth it for the views of the Badia and Bargello.



The Palazzo Vecchio.



The Medici Palace.



San Lorenzo and the Medici Chapel.



Before he left Florence, Teeny Tiny saw almost all the great pieces of art in the city, but he wasn't allowed to take pictures with all of them. Don't doubt that he went to San Marco, the Medici Chapel, 756 churches, and the Uffizi.



He also made sure to hit the Academy and see Michelangelo's Prigioni and David.



Of course, he had to recreate that experience with a stand-in.

Bert Mondays: He's Not Asheep Yet

Bert really likes the idea of having the place to himself. With Ernie at the Count's for the night, Bert relishes the idea of a night of uninterrupted sleep. Unfortunately, the boogie woogie sheep have different plans. Poor Bert can't catch a break. The best thing about Bert, though, is that he quickly adapts to and embraces the educational interlude and doesn't even seem perturbed when Rancher Ernie makes a fantasy appearance.





I've always wondered if Bert were part sheep.

Sing Saturdays: Suzie Kabloozie

Ah, the poor cat.

Sing Saturdays: The Museum Comes Alive

Here's another interesting animated take on "Sing." It has a jazzy beat and embraces wacky musical tangents with gusto.

Prehistoric: The End

Below is the final installment in the This Way to Sesame Street special. Ernie and Bert mention the Anything Muppets, Oscar, and all of the great things they haven't yet been able to introduce. They then wrap up the concepts for the show and invite all of us to enjoy the next forty years of fun, song, and learning. Here's hoping for forty more.

Miami Mice

Infrequently Ernie gets a sketch outside of his apartment and outside of interaction with Bert or the other regular characters on the show. What follows is one of those rare times that Ernie appears in a classic Sesame Street spoof of something hot in the culture at the time. Upon viewing, a couple questions arise:

1. What is Ernie doing in Miami?

2. Why does Duckie need repair?

3. Why does the Latino mouse sometimes sound French?

4. Do you think there's been fowl play?

Teeny Tiny's Travel Tuesdays: More Florence

Although much of what is great about Florence lies on the south side of the Arno, Teeny Tiny made sure to cross the Ponte Vecchio so that he could enjoy the sights of the Oltrarno.

The Oltrarno offers more than amazing views of the more known part of the city, although the views are amazing.

A little more than a mile down the river past the Ponte Vecchio lies the Piazzale Michelangelo, a park set atop a hill that holds bronze copies of some of Michelangelo's most famous works. The park also stands halfway up the hill to San Miniato al Monte, home to a community of Olivetan monks who make tasty candies and honey.

Teeny Tiny wandered through the enormous cemetery that surrounds San Miniato. He learned a great deal about old Florentine families by reading the tombs, still carefully tended though hundreds of years old.

Another great thing about being in Florence in May is that it is rose season. The Piazzale Michelangelo is surrounded by two amazing gardens. One garden has all kinds of flowers and plants. The other is the rose garden, open only during May.

It too offers amazing views of the city.

The other main attractions on the other side of the river are the Boboli Gardens and the Pitti Palace. Teeny Tiny made reservations so that he could wander through the galleries and enjoy the great Renaissance and post-Renaissance art not in the Uffizi.

A few blocks past Santo Spirito, the main place of worship on the south side of the river, are a few other amazing churches. The old Carmelite church, Santa Maria del Carmine, is not often open for tourist gazing, but it also holds the Brancacci Chapel.

To get to the chapel, Teeny Tiny had to go through the cloister of the old monastery.

Most people visit the chapel for the stunningly restored frescoes of Massaccio and Fillipino Lippi. The church offers a film history of the frescoes, which might have been really enlightening. Teeny Tiny, who's already a bit of an art history buff and so familiar with their history, chose to pass on the film so that he could simply enjoy the chapel.

Bert Mondays: Give Bs a Chance

Many times Ernie gets to be the star of some cool skit with some cool guest star. It might be his gregarious personality that allows him to meet and mesh with celebrities so easily, or it might be the fact that he is so loved, and people just want to hang out with him.

Bert doesn't get as many opportunities, so it's delightful when he does. We're lucky his name begins with a B, so we can enjoy his dancing with the Dixie Chicks. Bigs ups for the appearance of the bottle-cap collection as well. (Also, Baby Bear has a Weasley sweater!!)

Sing Saturdays: Sand Art

This rendition does not make me weep, but it's pretty cool. Enjoy the clever sand animation.

Prehistoric: Guest Stars

In this section of this way to Sesame Street, Ernie and Bert describe what will become one of the most delightful elements of Sesame Street for the next forty years: the guest stars.

From Jessica Alba and the Alvin Ailey Dance Company to Trisha Yearwood and Zap Mama, over 400 celebrities have visited the Street. Some of my favorites include Michelle Obama:

and REM:

A Visit From the Cookie Monster

I think we all can relate with both Cookie and Ernie in this sketch. Cookies = happy. No cookies = sad. Is this why my pants don't fit?

Disorder Makes Me Bertlike

I've been a bit frustrated lately. You see, like Ernie and Bert, I live in an apartment of very few square feet. Unlike our heroes, however, I have a ton of crap. (I don't consider it to be actually "crap," except when I get in a mood like this one.) All of my stuff fits in my apartment, but only in a particularly ordered fashion. When things become disordered, I grow claustrophobic and anxious. I want nothing more than to put things back in order so that I feel like I live in a peacefully clean environment.

The current frustration arises from the fact that I have not at time recently to put things in order. I get moments here and there for relaxation and dvr-tending, but it has been a couple of months since I have had the hours to dedicate to ordering my abode. Something must change soon, or I may start to take Ernie's approach. Where are the cookies and ice cream?

Teeny Tiny's Travel Tuesdays: Eating in Florence

One thing Teeny Tiny really likes about Florence is eating. I suppose that statement is kind of obvious: one thing everyone really likes about Italy in general is eating. Teeny Tiny, however, particularly likes eating in Florence because his favorite places and things to eat just keep getting better and better.

For lunchtime in Rome, he liked to grab a slice of potato pizza by the gram and walk around while eating, just to keep up the pace. In Florence, however, he preferred his lunches more peacefully seated, but cheap. Luckily, he had no problem stopping in a supermarket just outside the piazza in front of San Lorenzo and the Medici Chapel for some snacks.



He ate his strawberries and cheese, apples and bananas, with some pineapple juice on the steps of the Medici's church before stepping inside to explore. He also discovered these fabulous olive oil and rosemary cracker-chips and had to be stopped from shipping some cases back home.



Dinner in Florence usually meant finding some family-run Trattoria off of a side street and doing his best to avoid the touristy places. The Yellow Bar, next to the N4U Guest House, seemed a bit suspect at first, but Teeny Tiny took a chance and discovered a place that seemed to cater to students more than tourists, with great pizza and homemade pasta.



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Teeny Tiny's favorite restaurant in Florence, to which he went twice on this trip, is the Trattoria Nella.



Nella is located on the Via della Terme, just one block past the new market toward the river.



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It used to be run by the most forgetful man in Italy. Sergio Fattorini never had a problem getting delicious food served to his customers in a speedy manner, but leaving after the fabulous meal was another story. You asked for the conto, and the forgetful man nodded and rushed about to do some stuff, promptly forgetting your request. After you caught his eye a few more times, he remembered to go get the check; he then stuffed it in his pocket and tended to the other customers in the small dining room. Eventually, he stuck his hand in his pocket, remembered you, and took care of your payment with apologetic grace. It never mattered, because three-hour dinners in Florence are common, and his food was just so darn good.



Sadly, the forgetful man no longer runs Nella, but his twin sons have continued the tradition of making the dining experience interesting. Let's just say that sometimes Italian twins have ridiculous arguments right in the dining room during the busiest dining times. Seated at the table clearly reserved for regulars, friends, and relatives, Teeny Tiny got a great insight into the psychology of the place as he watched the brothers put together bread baskets, prepare the panna cotta for service, and ladle tomatoes, garlic, and basil onto crispy slices of bread.



One night, Teeny Tiny tried the special panzanella, a traditional tomato and bread salad. Another time he went with the delicious gnocchi del pomodoro.



Nothing tops off a Florentine dinner like a long walk around the city, followed by tasty tasty gelato. Luckily, Florence is full of great gelaterias, including Teeny Tiny's favorite on Via del Corso, the Festival del Gelato.



People tend to get snooty about gelaterias, preferring the kind that sells the homemade gelato to the ones supplied by the mass-market type of gelato-makers. They have good reason to do so, because homemade (or gelateria-made) gelato is the happiest thing one can ever eat after dinner, but the other kind isn't so bad either. Teeny Tiny was pretty sure that the Festival made its own gelato, but in the end it did not matter, because the gelateria serves about 8700 flavors in around 600 sizes.

Nothing made him happier than ordering a tasty combination and then sitting on the steps of the Duomo to enjoy it with a healthy dose of people-watching.

Bert Mondays: Social Activism for the New Year

In the spirit of everyone's annual pledge to be a better person and the new DC plastic-bag tax, today's post presents Bert at his socially responsible best. We all know that it is wrong to litter because littering is dirty and annoying and gross, but Bert reminds us to consider what throwing your trash anywhere but in the trash can does to the small citizens of our world.

I only wish I could show this video to everyone I see who casually drops something to ground and does not pick it up. Sadly, I would never be able to do anything else in my day, but if it would make a difference, I would do it.

Does Anyone Live in Atlanta?

Steve Whitmire, the man who has been behind Ernie since the great Jim Henson died, will be presenting a lecture and a class on the methodology of puppetry in Atlanta, Georgia, on January 9, 10, 16, and 17: Steve Whitmire: Perspectives: "The Sentient Puppet." This event will take place at Atlanta's Center for Puppetry Arts. If you go and take the class, you can learn the awesome puppetry techniques that have allowed Whitmire to step into the shoes of the greatest ever.