I'm wearing my tried-and-true Gap khakis and can't help but recall the late 1990s:

Baby baby it looks like its gonna hail
Baby baby it looks like its gonna hail
You better come inside and lemme teach ya how to jive and wail

Ten years ago, one ad campaign - one thirty second spot - sparked a revival of swing dancing and put a spotlight on an optimistic and exuberant young generation. Khaki Swing, produced in-house by Gap's creative director Lisa Prisco, took Madison Avenue by storm, went on to win awards, and landed in the Whitney Museum's 20th Century retrospective alongside its siblings: Khaki Country, Rock, Soul, Hip-Hop, and A-Go-Go.

With the help of flicks like Swingers, a newfound love for cocktails in the bar scene, and a rediscovery of frenetic swing on the dance floor... the sounds of Brian Setzer Orchestra, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Royal Crown Revue, and Squirrel Nut Zippers were suddenly everywhere (Zoot Suit Riot, anyone?). Life couldn't be better.

It was 1998. The millennium was just around the corner, peace talks were making strides in Israel and Northern Ireland, the internet and the economy were booming, the Clintons weathered their marital storms, Michael Jordan won his final championship, and John Glenn returned to space. I stood alongside my fellow 354 high school graduates in a sleepy town tucked away in the mountains of Virginia... and was filled with a sense of boundless possibility. I was heading to college, I had a dear group of friends (who loved to dance), and all the golden opportunity we had grown up with in the '80s was spread out in front of us, ripe for the taking.

Gap introduced a cheeky new commercial, Boyfriend Trouser, in 2007... a nice throwback to their old dance ads, featuring Claire Danes and Patrick Wilson. And while we've grown up a little (at least beyond the Matrix-style filming and chunky, uncomfortable shoes), I'd like to think that our generation still embodies the same hopeful spirit we exhibited as teenagers. A spirit that knows how to find the good and praise it (hat tip to my college graduation speaker Lamar Alexander), turn lemons into lemonade, and step in from the bad weather with the prospect of learning some exhilarating dance moves.

This is a big year for Sesame Street. Big Bird, Grover and the gang are celebrating their 39th season on PBS... and in hi-definition no less. The award-winning preschool series premiered on Monday with some cool new learning concepts. The show is merging mathematical reasoning and language skills to help kids talk about how to solve problems (instead of just thinking 1+1=2). Leela, a new cast member from India, moves to Sesame Street and starts introducing her heritage and culture with her new friends. And after a successful start last year, Word on the Street, an outdoor segment filmed in NYC, returns to introduce new words in rich and meaningful contexts.

Fortunately, Sesame Workshop has recruited plenty of help. Among this year's A-list celebrities: Will Arnett (with some magical math), Jessica Alba, David Beckham, Brian Williams (with an update about sharing), Jenny McCarthy, LL Cool J (rapping with Elmo), Neil Patrick Harris (as the Shoe Fairy?), Sandra Oh, Heidi Klum, Jack Black (who is looking for octagons), Megan Mullally, and Jonah Hill.

Not enough? How about the new parodies: Preschool Musical (singing, dancing three-year-olds), 30 Rocks, the Plain White Tees (yup, they're actually teeshirts), and Dirtiest Jobs (with Mike Rowe and Oscar the Grouch of course), and a winning performance of Feist's 1234 ("1 2 3 4 chickens just back from the shore"). If last season's highlights are any indication, it's going to be a great season:

• Tina Fey as a pirate
• Anderson Cooper for the Grouch News Network
• Sugarland singing with Elmo
• James Blunt and his lost triangle
• Rachael Ray sharing her favorite words
• Chris Brown seeing the signs

And to top it all, Sesame Workshop just launched a new website with their incredible archive of live-action Muppet videos. The site will introduce new educational themes every day, so there's no end to the learning. See you around the neighborhood!

This is Leo's Song, a hand drawn animation by Impactist, a husband-wife creative team in Portland, Oregon. From their description: "When a geometric visitor from another planet becomes your new roommate and shares with you the tragic state of its home world, you drop your guitar and see what you can do."

This is also my 100th liked video on Vimeo. After 18 months on this video sharing site, I'm continually blown away by the creative community that has grown around their simple mission: people connecting through video. From group projects and curated channels (or one of your own)... to high definition experiments and a cheerful staff with incredible ideas... there's never a dull moment.

The pessimist says it won't last: that the site will be discovered by massive hordes who disregard the ground-rules and will get bought out by suits. But I think Vimeo has found the right recipe: a healthy dose of discussion between its members and a steady balance of joy within its videos. It just keeps getting better. No matter what happens, I've found camaraderie and delight within... a creative spirit that outlasts the latest fads, economies, and hardware. And with folks like Kelly and Daniel sharing their talents, I'm so there.

Update: Scratch that... 101st liked video. Lucky number 100 goes to A Tiny Piece of the Year by Kristen Schaal (who you might know from Flight of the Conchords). Yeah, she hangs around on Vimeo. Along with Kanye. Just saying.