  We observed two nearby galaxies with potential or weak indications of nuclear
activity, M32 and M81, with the MIRLIN mid-IR camera at N band (10.79 microns).
M32 is not detected, but we give detailed measurements of the nucleus of M81.
Our observations of M81 show a bright nuclear point source at N, and comparison
to measurements made in the early 1970's gives an increase in nuclear flux of
nearly a factor of two. If the comparison is accurate, the nuclear mid-IR
emission must ultimately be powered by a variable, compact source, similar to
that in Seyferts and quasars. M81 has been classified in the literature as a
low-luminosity LINER, not a pure Seyfert galaxy. Further, it has been suggested
that this and other low-luminosity AGN may have intrinsically different spectra
than Seyferts and quasars. However, we find that the relative fluxes in the
X-ray, MIR, and radio bands, all essentially unaffected by extinction and
galaxy pollution, show a nuclear continuum remarkably like that of a bona fide
Seyfert or quasar.
