News of the Week and My Thoughts on the New Star Trek Movie

Spencer D. at Star Trek

Hello Troops,
I’m writing from my sanctuary in Cloverdale. A beautiful hamlet in the Confederacy of Dunces.

Do You Know What Time It Is?
It was early Tuesday morning. The phone rang at 1:36 A.M.
“Mr. Williamson. This is Matt. We triggered an alarm or something and the police are here at the school. Can you come down and reset the alarm?”
I recognized the voice. I remembered Matt was overseeing the filming of a university student’s video project at the Space Center.
“What are you doing there at this time?” I asked in a semi lucid state.
“We finished early. We triggered an alarm while we were leaving the school.” he explained.
“You were suppose to be out of the building by 10:30,” I said trying to sound angry but controlled.
“Did you think I meant 10:30 P.M.? I meant 10:30 A.M. We were planning on staying here filming all night long. This was designed to be a twelve hour shoot. We finished early.”
“You didn’t say 10:30 A.M. I asked you when you’d be out and you said 10:30 at the latest!”

And there it was, another fantastic misunderstanding at the Space Center.
A film student at some university wrote a space story and needed a place to film. I gave permission and arranged to have the Center staffed by one of our people during the event. Matt knows the world of film so I asked him to ‘baby-sit’ them during the shoot. He agreed. When they arrived Monday late afternoon to set up, Matt and I had the conversation on the length of the shoot. If one of us had added an A.M. or P.M. in the conversation I would have been spared a call at 1:36 A.M. and a trip down to the school to reset a security alarm. There is a lesson to be learned here. It is obvious so I won’t spell it out. Let’s just say I learned it and I hope all of you do as well.
Oh, and thanks to my former 6th grade student, Ryan Armistead, for being understanding. He was the policeman waiting from me at the school. Small world isn’t it.

Small Overnight
On Wednesday Alpine Elementary called to report their overnight camp numbers. I expected lower numbers. This recession is taking its toll and families are watching their spending.
“Mr. Williamson, we have eight students signed up for this weekend,” the teacher reported. I tried to contain my surprise. It wasn’t just the recession, it was also the Swine Flu that concerned parents as well. I made a decision to cancel the overnighter.

The next day he called back and said the number rose to 13. I told him we could do it for 13. The camp moved ahead as scheduled. By Friday the number hit 14. I added six of our staff to crew the Phoenix and went ahead with the overnight camp planning.

I was tempted to cancel the camp but tradition got the best of me. I’ve never canceled a camp due to numbers in the entire history of the Space Center. That’s 18 years of camps! I wasn’t about to let it happen now. GM may be nearly bankrupt. Companies nationwide may be going out of business and homes foreclosed but by golly the Space Center will continue as normal come recession or depression.

Brady Young Married
Yes troops, our very own Brady Young got married on Friday. Brady is a flight director in the Voyager, a student at UVU and a member of the Geek Squad at Best Buy. He recently returned from a mission in Florida.
The reception was held at the Alpine Center on Friday evening. I couldn’t attend because of the camp and one hundred other things but I’m told it was fantastic. Congratulations Brady and may you and your new misses live long and prosper.

Bulb Woes
Brittany V. gave me bad news Friday afternoon.
“Mr. Williamson, the Magellan’s projector is flashing red and yellow again,” she said while I worked on my computer. It was 3:45 P.M. and the Magellan had a private mission coming at 4:00 P.M. I knew that combination of flashing indicated a burned out bulb. I called Kyle and went to work looking for the spare bulb.

Kyle arrived and pulled the projector off the ceiling. I found the spare bulb , unpackaged it but couldn’t get it to fit into the projector. It was the right bulb but was missing a small plastic piece. Kyle did some switching of housing and got the new bulb to fit into the projector. He hit the ‘on’ button and waited. Nothing but the red and yellow flashing indicator of death. The bulb was defective! I cussed under my breath. That was the last time I purchased a bulb from Ebay. Yes, I saved money on the purchase but lost out in the end.
“You get what you pay for,” I was told by more than one person in the room. You know, being responsible for the Space Center really sucks sometimes. Its really bad when you have a simulator without a main viewer and a 15 person party waiting in the lobby for their mission. In situations like this you rely on your fantastic staff. I starting reassigning people.
Taylor took over for Rachel in the Galileo.
Rachel took over for Emily in the Odyssey.
Emily started the Voyager and we switched the Magellan crew into the open Voyager. That solved that problem. Then I had to deal with the Magellan crews on Saturday and Monday.

In the end all groups but one were reassigned to the Voyager. The one group that I couldn’t rebook came on Saturday and flew a Main Viewerless Magellan at 2:00 P.M. It was a 40th birthday party. I gave the group a 50% discount. I believe they had a good time.

I ordered a brand new bulb. It will e delivered on Monday or Tuesday. Wow bulbs are expensive. Nearly $500!! This place costs a lot of money to run.

Star Trek Laughs and Woes
We went to see the new Star Trek movie Saturday evening at Thanksgiving Point. My sister Jilane and her husband came along. My mother wanted to come as well although she knows nothing about Star Trek. She likes getting out of the house. I laughed when she called me at the Space Center.
“Can I come to that Space Battle ...... ah....Star Wars movie you’re going to today?”
“Mother, its called Star Trek. Yes you can come as long as you behave and refrain from talking to me during the movie. Remember, this will be a religious experience for me and all the other Trekkers in the theater so I’ll trust you’ll be on your best behavior.”
Mother agreed to be good. I actually enjoy taking her to the movies. She buys the drinks and popcorn for everyone. Then on the way home we get to review the movie as we explain the plot and characters to her. She can get a bit lost with the digital sound and pictures, not to mention the jerky camera movement they use these days.

I gave mother the seat at the end of the row. Its easier for her to get out to use the restroom halfway through the show. Bradyn L., Spencer D., and my nephew Brock occupied the end of our row. Spencer D came in after we were all seated. He rushed to the theater after his Voyager mission.
He warned me he was going to do something stupid. He didn’t disappoint.
He came into the theater wearing somebody’s nerd glasses and a pointed aluminum foil cap fashioned after the ones the kids wore in the ‘Signs’ movie. We had a good laugh. He has no fear of people. That is a real sign of someone very confident of himself. I admire that.

OK, what did I think of the movie? Well, I ‘ll start by warning everyone that I will be talking about the plot so if you haven’t seen the move and don’t want me to ruin it for you then stop reading now.

I’m going to go through the movie point by point. If you disagree let me know.
1. The USS Keplar scene. OK. Good effects but I don’t like the jerky camera.
2. I’m sick to death of the time travel trick Star Trek uses to change history or bring back characters from the original series. Enough is enough.
3. Having said that, I like the feel of this new incarnation of Star Trek in a timeline change.
4. Young Jim Kirk and Spock are very well done.
5. Problem 1. Why are they building a Star Ship in Iowa?
6. Problem 2. Why are they holding a disciplinary hearing for Jim Kirk in front of the entire student body of StarFleet Academy?
7. Great job with Dr. McCoy.
8. Problem 3. Why do Academy Cadets need to staff the starships leaving for Vulcan? Going along for experience? Perhaps but wouldn’t the ships be staffed by members of the fleet?
9. Problem 4. Was it just be or was travel time to Vulcan done in minutes?
10. Problem 5. The Enterprise got behind the rest of the fleet by a minute or two because Sulu forgot to turn on something. Yet when they arrived at Vulcan the entire fleet was destroyed. Now, how did that happen when they were a couple minutes behind the fleet in take off?
11. Problem 6. WHERE ARE VULCAN’S DEFENSES? Doesn’t the mighty planet Vulcan have planetary defenses? Why are Vulcan’s just sitting there while their planet is getting gored by the drill beam? If they can’t fight then why aren’t they evacuating their planet?
12. If Jim Kirk and Sulu can disable the drill beam with machine guns why couldn’t one photon torpedo fired by anything on Vulcan do the same?
13. Good trick Chekov used to beam them while at speed.
14. Problem 7. WHAT THE HECK IS THE RED LIQUID AND HOW CAN A DROP OF THIS CREATE A BLACK HOLE. COME ON FOLKS. I KNOW ITS SCI FI BUT THIS IS SCI FI AND FANTASY. TOO MUCH.
15. Once they realized the planet was lost why didn’t the Enterprise start beaming hundreds and hundreds of Vulcans into the ship?
16. They said only 10,000 or so Vulcans were left in the universe. Where are the Vulcan starships, cargo ships, embassies, students at off planet universities, tourists, etc etc etc. There should be a lot more than that!
17. The Enterprise was at warp speed when Spock and Jim fought. At the end of the fight Spock ordered Jim into a life pod and ejected off the ship onto another world. Now remember, they got to Vulcan in a manner of minutes from Earth and yet Jim Kirk was ejected onto a moon of Vulcan! How do I know? Well, it shows Spock watching Vulcan get swallowed into the black hole from the moon.
18. Too convenient to have Jim Kirk meet Spock in a snow cave on a moon
19. Laughable to use an equation just presented to Scotty by Spock and have him use that equation to beam Jim and Scotty back to the Enterprise while it travels away from them at warp speed. What were the writer’s thinking? Come on, up until then they kept people to
“Stand Still” before beaming.
20. Problem 7. They figured out how to turn off Earth’s defenses from Capt. Pike? What a crappy planetary defense system if one starship captain knows enough to have it shut completely down! Laughable.
21. Again, the drill starts drilling in San Fransico Bay. Surely somewhere on Earth there must still be an F15 fighter with a sidewinder missile that could take out that drill? Come on!
22. They send only 2 into the Romulan ship? Why not an entire attack force? Where are the Seals?

OK, that’s enough. Multiple plot holes.
Did I like the movie. Yes, very much. I just wish the writers would give their audience some credit for intelligence. All of these things could have been taken care of with some thought and imagination.

Should you go see it if you haven’t? YES. I really hope they start a new television series or at least several new movies.

Take Care Troops,
Have a great week.

Mr. Williamson

Astro Pal Slinky's Last Black Hole

Hi All, I sent along these photos....our poor little "slinky" astronaut officially was torn apart yesterday as she gave her last hurrah during a classroom demonstration of being spaghettified and pulled into a blackhole.....a short memorial services will be held Friday before field trip groups arrive. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the CMSEC center for Space Teachers Science Honors Evolving into Ludicis Annedotes (St. Sheila fund).

Our deceased, but heroic little astro-pal is symbolic of what it is like to teach second-half school year sixth graders. Sixth graders this time of the year are morphing (really the best way to describe their condition) into: discombobulated, distractable, hormone-poisoned, semi-a "dolts", trying to find their way in life. Teachers and students both are "stretched to their limits" trying to teach and learn.

Being "Saint Sheila" and According to Kyle Herring, apparently I have powers that would help here.....I hereby deliver to all teachers of teenagers AND teenagers trying to learn with an extra "patience potion"...to somehow manage & complete the 2008-2009 school year successfully.

And now our final thoughts on our Slinky Astronaut:

CMSEC DISCOVERY CLASSROOM
ASTRO-PAL
2008-2009

Our Astro-Pal was stretched too tight.
SHE SNAPPED AND BROKE….
JUST LIKE A KITE.

We’ll miss her daily exhibition of Science.
“TO INFINITY AND BEYOND”….
YOU WENT WITH DEFINACE!!!!!!!

To the “Final Frontier” we out send your
“ pattern”……
We think you’ll end up encircling Saturn!!

Adios, dear Astro-Pal!!
Thanks for the memories!

DONE. patience potion delivered.
Sheila Keller-Powell
Space Center Educator

New Summer Stories, The Flu and Star Trek the Movie!

Hello Troops,
It’s May! How many of you are like me and wondering where the school year went? Summer starts on June 21st astronomically. The Space Center summer starts the first week of June. I want all of you in Blogland to know how excited I am for our new summer stories. Your Space Center Set and Flight Directors are working morning, noon and night with me to make this the best summer ever. The Space Center is staffed by some of the finest people in Utah. These people aren’t paid very much for what they do, and what they are paid doesn’t come close to compensating them for the extra time and effort they put into maintaining the simulators and creating the missions you enjoy when you do one of our missions. Now add in the time donated on your behalf by our scores of volunteers and you’ll see the effort this community of learners and doers is doing just for you. The Space Education Center is truly a community effort. Thank you for doing your part in helping us change the very definition of education. Your support both in positive word of mouth advertising and financially through attending camps and outright donations is appreciated. We are totally dependent on the people of this community and we hope we show that appreciation every time you come for our programs.

The Slime Flu!
Wow, what about this H1N1 flu spreading around the world? I don’t know what's worse, the actually flu or the panic it seems to be causing. I personally believe shutting down an entire school system because of three suspected cases is going too far. Is our society so afraid of a bump or bruise that we need to pad everything that stands upright? I see the panic and wonder if it isn't’ the Bubonic Plague roaming the world like death itself slashing down entire populations.

Word is that some European cities are researching how communities of eight hundred years ago dealt with plague. I’m guessing they are already digging enormous pits for the dead. Tons of lime will be on standby to pour over the dead to reduce the stench of decay. Special trucks are on standby to canvas the neighborhoods for the dead. Each is equipped with a loudspeaker so the driver can shout out the same admonition shouted by the town criers of the Middle Ages, “Bring Out your Dead!”

Soon the rabid Christians and Doomsdayists will be walking our streets with sandwich boards warning us to “Repent for the End is Near”. The old timers guarding WalMart’s exits for shoplifters will be armed with semiautomatic weapons to ensure order when society begins to break down and riotous crowds descend to ransack the store to take supplies in preparation to hunker down in their basements and await the end. I’m warning you be take great care in approaching someone’s front door. One knock may result in a shotgun blast through the wood and right through your abdomen. It won’t be pretty when law and order, the pillars of society, break down and the rule of jungle becomes normal.

So, I urge all to watch the news carefully and track the flu but remember, the current virus is no worse than all other flu viruses currently killing people every day in the world. Panic is ridiculous and only demonstrates a lack of common sense and intelligence but hey, we know those are in serious short supply in this modern world - don’t we? Listen, when you see me panic then you can panic. If you see me wearing a mask then it is time to wear one. If you see me walking the streets of Pleasant Grove armed to the teeth then you know the end has already arrived. Be prepared and with preparation comes a sense of calm.

Here are the preparations I’m taking. I wash my hands several times per day. I use hand sanitizes whenever I finish working. I avoid getting too close to students or campers. if I see a student coughing I hand them either tissue or several paper towels. I definitely don’t want to catch the flu. Who has time to be sick for a week? Raise your hands.

New Missions Tested
The Phoenix, Odyssey, Galileo and Magellan tested their new missions this last weekend. The Phoenix and Galileo used staff as their guinea pigs. The Odyssey and Magellan used read overnight camp students. I’m happy with the post mission surveys. Each mission ran reasonably well. Each mission has several places where improvements are necessary. Those have been identified and will be dealt with this week. We will run the missions again this week on the Overnight Camp for students from Alpine Elementary School.

The Odyssey, Magellan and Phoenix will have two new missions for the summer. The Voyager and Galileo will each have one. Have you signed up for summer camp yet? If not what are you waiting for? Let’s get on the ball. Don’t miss these new stories.

Why Doesn’t Anyone Answer the Phone?
I’ve been asked why the Space Center doesn’t have someone at the phones during business hours. We do on Monday, Wednesdays and Fridays. Aleta Clegg is the Center’s office assistant You can reach her on those days between 9:00 A.M. and Noon. You’ll have to take your chance with me on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Also, I’m usually at my desk to answer the phone after 1:50 P.M. unless I have an after school field trip (which we’ve had many of lately).

Prom Season
We are in the thick of Prom Season! Every weekend brings new Prom dates to the Center for their Day Dates. Its fun watching these young couples navigate the treacherous waters of dating, especially if this is their first date. Dating veterans are very comfortable with their dates. You’ll see them joking and looking relaxed. New daters are visibly stressed. They are doing their best too look cool. You see it in their body language. The boys stand with legs slightly apart and arms either folded or hands are in the pockets. Gum in the mouth is part of that cool and false relaxed look. They chew with their mouths open and hope to heaven they didn’t make a mistake in asking the girl standing uncomfortably next to them to Prom.

The missions go reasonably well remembering we aren’t structured for people that age. The Center’s focus group are 10 to 14 year olds. Many teens still enjoy the missions. Others find them a bit beneath them - or so they think. It is all good. The Day Dates are bringing in a steady stream of cash and that’s what the Center needs right now as we work hard on the new Galileo.

Your Questions!
OK, I’d like to add questions and answers to this weekly news update. If you have questions about the Space Center or its staff please email them to me (director@spacecamputah.org) and I’ll select the best from the emails to answer publicly each week right hear on the Blog. This is your chance to ask the questions that have been bothering you for some time.
Questions regarding age (especially that of the ladies) will be ignored.
I will also be careful not to discuss in detail what happens behind the scenes as we create the experience you enjoy.

Star Trek the Movie!
May 8th is opening day for the new Star Trek movie. Needless to say, Star Trek is almost a religion for many of us who work at the Space Center so you can be sure we will see the movie.
I urge everyone to see the movie. I hear it is really good from those that have already seen it. It has cool special effects but the foundation of the movie is character driven. That gives the movie a sense of something other than an effects driven movie.

Challenge. I’d like all our Space Center fans to wear their Space Center T-shirts to the movie. I’ll be looking for you in the crowds. I won’t tell you which theaters I’ll be going to (I’ll see it twice at two different theaters) but if I see a Space Center T-shirt I’ll give you a pin from your favorite Space Center ship! The pins sell in our gift shop for $5.00 each so wear that shirt and hope your in the theater at the same time I am.

Thanks Troops,
Mr. Williamson

Today's Rocket Launch Postponed

A Notice to all those in the Space Center's Space Exploration Merit Badge Class.
The Rocket Launch schedule for today is postponed due to weather. The launch will be reschedule for next Saturday, May 9th from 11:00 A.M. to 1:00 P.M. weather permitting. Further notices on the launch will be posted on this blog.

Mr. Williamson

The USS Slime Flu Attacks. The Voyager and Odyssey Run.

Hello Troops,
I knew when I first heard of the Swine Flu a week ago the day would come when the Space Center would be affected. Today was that day. This morning I heard that Park City closed its schools because of a possible outbreak. This afternoon we were scheduled to run a mission for..... Go ahead and take a guess......... THAT'S RIGHT - Park City! I got a call from the teacher informing me of their cancellation.

The USS Slime Flu approached the Voyager and Odyssey cautiously from the dark side of the April Maelstrom with its phasers fully charged and torpedoes armed in the launchers. The order was given to fire. Streaks of white lightening ripped through space on a course toward the two unsuspecting ships. Impact! Both ships took direct hits to the outer hulls. Alarms screamed throughout the ships waking the crews.

Then, as quickly as it arrived the USS Slime Flu disappeared into the Maelstrom. Did we get caught unawares? Yes. Will it happen again? No. We will be waiting for this monster from the deep to rear its ugly head again and when it does........ when it does..........

We shall RUN!

Mr. Williamson

The Space Center Stories Only We Can Tell!

Hello Troops,
Its a rainy weekend in Pleasant Grove. I’m hoping the rain will lower the pollen count. I’m one of the millions in the country suffering from allergies.
It makes me wonder if evolution is an accurate science. My thinking goes like this: Why would a planet evolve a species with an allergy to itself? Does that make sense to you? Every spring and fall my nose morphs into Niagara Falls and my eyes become overflowing wells. Don’t forget the sneezing. Sneezing accompanies the action you take to keep your nose drippings from wetting your shirt and jacket. You take your hand, sometimes your sleeve or coat jacket (I suppose the more refined use a hanky but I’ve never owned a hanky in my life. I have used rags in the past. It does the job well enough - with the added bonus of rubbing your nose raw) and wipe the offending liquid off your face. That triggers something in the nose. A tingling is the first sign an explosion is imminent. I usually have just enough time to warn everyone to batten down the hatches and hold on to their young children before the burst of spittle and wind blast out of my nostrils and mouth and create a miniature low pressure system detectable by NASA’s weather satellites. The clean up begins after each sneeze. Chair are restore to their upright positions, tables are uprighted, papers are pulled off the walls and ceilings and towelettes are distributed to anyone unlucky enough to be caught in the gale. Oh, it can be a messy thing. I’m considering wearing one of those air horns around my neck. I could sound the horn before each sneeze giving people time to seek shelter. It’s a good idea - don’t you think?

OK, back to business. Hold on.......... Ahhhhh......... I just took a swig of my 32 ounce Diet Mountain Dew with two, yes I said two, squirts of cherry flavoring. This delicious drink can be created at your local Walker’s gas station. It is my signature drink. I realize many of you kind readers are suffering from slight shock after reading what I just wrote. You’re surprised I drink something other than Diet Coke. I am a man of mystery and that has been mentioned many times (even to my face if you can believe it). I try to keep my taste buds and stomach from growing complacent. You know, shock the system from time to time by doing something out of the ordinary like walking across the street without looking. Well, maybe not that extreme. Mind you, I have been doing that lately as I walk to school. I get so involved in my music that I forget to look both ways. On one occasion my earphones spared me from hearing the very descriptive words a passing driver used to describe my care in crossing the street outside of the crosswalk. I tried to look remorseful but found it difficult when listening to ABBA. I’m thinking of going to the junkyard and purchasing an old car’s extendable radio antenna. I’ll place a hunter’s orange flag at its top and wave that around as I walk. That should alert passing motorist to steer clear of the lunatic that escaped from that ‘special’ home on 730 East. You know that place - where they keep teachers suffering from selective memory loss and mild illusions of grandeur.
OK back to business.

I seriously overworked myself this week on your behalf. I know I’ve overdone it when I start talking to people at WalMart in my Gods of Perikoi Voice. Last Monday I stopped at WalMart to pick up a few things, you know how you do. I was walking down by the Wheat Chex cereal when I spotted a mother. Her shopping cart acting like a mobile cage for two small children - possibly twins but couldn’t be sure because of the partially digested cookie spread over each of their faces. There were three other children in tow. They kept reaching for the SugarSquares cereal only to be semi violently pulled back by a mother clearly out of her depth. I was still in my ‘mission mode’ from the last field trip. I walked up to her and asked to see the children.
“Today is the day of the choosing. I’m looking for the best, brightest and strongest of the children,” I said in my Perikoi godlike voice. She gave me a look a dictionary could use as its definition of ‘Shock’. I suddenly came to my senses, realized what I had done, and started to explain when she stopped me. She reached into the shopping cart, picked up the child with the dirty diaper, and handed him to me.
“Will he do?” she asked.

Yes, I overworked myself this week. There is no doubt about it.

A Strange Perception of Time

I started a unit on Ratios and Percents for my advanced math class this week.
“This unit will involve extensive use of your friend,” I said to them at the start of the lesson on proportions. A “friend” is my mathspeak for a calculator. “How many of you have a friend here today?” Half the hands went up. “How many have a friend at home you can bring to school?” A few more hands joined the others. I was deciding how many calculators I needed to bring. Payton raised his hand.
“Payton,” I said.
“I’ve got this humungous calculator that’s about this big,” he said forming a rather large square with his hands. “Its so honken big I can't bring it to class. I think its from the 1800’s or something.”
His honest assessment of the calculator’s age made me laugh. I knew when the first electronic hand held calculators were invented because I was alive at the time. Payton had no idea because he lives in a world that has always had them, in some size or another. His comment opened a window into his understand of history - or should I say lack of understanding. I blame our schools for that.
It is fun to live at a time when so much changed so quickly. My first hand held calculator was purchased in the mid 1970’s. I was a junior in high school. I was neck deep in an accounting class and seeking an easy way to add numbers for my spreadsheets. I worked at a self serve gas station and did my homework between payments. It was a day when everyone had to pay at a window. The gas pumps didn’t take credit cards.
One Saturday I drove into downtown Rapid City, South Dakota. I knew Sears carried calculators. I found the model I could afford. This rather large, black calculator had red illuminated numbers. It added, subtracted, multiplied and divided. I was amazed it did all that and still hand held. The clerk rang up $60.00. It was expensive but worth it. I was one of the coolest kids in the class with that beast sitting on my desk. Everyone wanted to see it, touch it, and play with the numbers. Yes, times have changed.

This is so Tight!

Another thing made me laugh this week. A sixth grade class from Something Something Elementary School (I see so many kids they all blend together) was boarding the Voyager. The kidspeak started with the first boy came up the stairs.
“Dude this is so tight,” he said. I sat him at Engineering. He repeated his assessment of the Voyager’s Bridge to nearly everyone as their heads appeared from the lower quarters. As the Bridge filled others joined in, creating a chorus of 11 and 12 year olds all proclaiming how “Tight” the Voyager was. I laughed as I counted the “Tights” There were sixteen before I quieted them for the Captain’s appearance. The Captain ascended the stairway. The crew was silent. He stopped in front of me and presented his Boarding Pass. I showed him his chair. He stood before it and instead of saying “Please be seated” he said, “Dudes this is so TIGHT!” and it all started again.
So from the Kidspeak I am left with one conclusion. The Voyager is very Tight! I’ll need to check into expanding the bridge so we don’t get that complaint again.

Jon Heder (Napoleon Dynamite) is a Fan!

Well, to close this never ending post I’ll talk about our visiting celebrity. Jon Heder of Napoleon Dynamite and several other comedies came to the Center on Thursday with his brothers and friends for a Phoenix mission. Dave Daymont was the flight director. They enjoyed it and left a $20 tip. On Friday evening he called and booked the Voyager for the following day. I told Kyle to call him back and tell him I couldn’t put a staff together with such short notice. Kyle wouldn’t hear of it and said he would take the mission. After a few phone calls he had a staff.

The mission started at 11:30 A.M. yesterday. Kyle ran Greenpeace. Everyone wanted to work the mission. Everyone wanted to see Napoleon Dynamite. You’d think it was President Obama himself.
Kyle extended the mission by nearly an hour and didn’t finish. That’s pretty typical for Kyle. I’m beginning to think he doesn’t know the ending to any Voyager mission because none of his missions EVER get to the ending. It is either he doesn’t know the ending or he has a sadistic need to kill his crews over and over again. None of us are sure. None of us want to push him that far by asking. If there is an instability there one must be careful. Kyle has access to several power tools. You get the picture........

Jordan Foutin ran the Phoenix at the same time the Voyager was running. He was disappointed no one told him Jon Heder was in the Voyager . I understand he is a big Jon Heder fan from the way he was salivating and banging his head against the FRP’d walls in the Briefing Room because he missed him. Poor Jordan.

You know, I wonder why I don’t get the same kind of hero worship this Heder person gets. Aren’t I just as good an actor? Can’t I be funny at times? Perhaps everyone enjoys his nerdy ways. Now, not having any myself, I can understand that may be the reason. Well, regardless I’m happy to report the Heder’s enjoyed themselves. My congratulations and thanks to Kyle and the Voyager crew for coming in on such short notice and doing their best to provide a quality experience.

Well troops, its upward and onward. We move into May this week. In a few short weeks we will be out of school and well into our summer season. The summer stories will be told every weekend this month as we prepare to host hundreds of campers. If you haven’t booked your summer camp please do it now. You’ll have fun, learn something, and what’s more important, your money helps us build new ships and upgrade the ones we have. You are our partners. Without you there is no Space Center. Thank you.


Let’s all have a good week. Let’s all work hard, set goals and achieve.
We are soldiers against ignorance and apathy. We fight the good battle every day when we try to learn, grow and improve. Take up the sword and join me in this crusade to change American education and make it the best in the world.

Mr. Williamson

A New Week and the End of Spring Break.

Hello Troops,
Its over. There is a depression hanging over Happy Valley. Thousands of students and teachers realize Spring Vacation is over. This time tomorrow we will all be back in school. The sooner we grasp that fact the sooner we move on. I’m moving on. There is too much to do as we prepare for the summer season and you have too much to do to get through this school year with high grades which leads to happy parents which leads to a happier life for everyone concerned.

The Last Hurrah!
Saturday I had to make a stop at WalMart for a few things. On the way back, I didn’t handle two stop signs very well. I have a tendency not to come to complete stop (as in 0 miles per hours and your wheels aren’t turning at all) at stop signs unless there is traffic. In other words if I’m the only car within sight I come to almost a complete stop, look, and proceed forward. There are times I don’t stop right on the painted line at the stop sign as well.

I made a couple of those near stops coming home from WalMart. Wouldn’t you know one of Pleasant Grove’s finest happened to be sitting there watching. I turned on Center Street to check the school when I saw the lights flashing. I pulled over in front of the Baptist Church next to Central.
There isn’t much that embarrasses me but getting pulled over is one of them. Add to that is where it happened - right on Center Street, across from the school. Everyone knows the Battlestar and everyone in those neighborhoods that have, or every have had, students at Central know me. Are you getting the picture? Car after car passed. Everyone in the car straining to see Mr. Williamson being interrogated by the police. Of course they keep you there for what seems like eternity - giving everyone in the community time to call their neighbors and family, set up lawn chairs and watch. You’d think I was getting busted for drugs. People were at their windows.......... yea, you get the picture.

The policeman was very professional. I was given a mini lecture on the correct procedures for stopping at a stop sign. A warning was issued and he let me go. I was overwhelmed by the urge to speed away but knew that wouldn’t be wise. I wonder how many people are going to ask me what that was all about on Monday. So, I'm telling everyone now, it wasn’t a drug bust, I wasn’t speeding, I didn’t even run a stop sign. I failed to come to a complete stop. There, you have my confession. No ticket issued but a huge serving of embarrassment was plopped on my plate. You should see me drive now. My driving matches the kind of car I drive. I drive a Lincoln - an old fart’s car and starting today I drive just like an old fart. I come to a complete stop - on the white painted line. I’m not going to get pulled over again in Pleasant Grove. If its going to happen let it happen in American Fork.

OK, that's all I have to report. More news and updates as the week progresses.

Thank you to the staff and volunteers that came in every day during Spring Break to work on the simulators and missions. I appreciate your time and dedication.


Mr. Williamson

To See the End of the World

From birth to death
we live in a box.
Vision is limited to the space around us.
We see dark and nothing else.
Yet there is something we feel beyond.
We can’t see it. Our human senses are limited.
But we know it is there, waiting to be understood.

Boundaries and fences are part of natural life
Yet they cannot be used to define us.
By nature we seek to break down the boundaries.
Our humanity leads the charge to
breech the barriers and peer into the unknown
without surrendering to danger.

One day humans will proclaim, "All is known".
And when that day
comes in the far away of time,
another boundary will be found.
Another dark impenetrable wall,
and the eternal quest begins anew.

Friday. Spring Break is Coming to a Close!

Its Friday of Spring Break. We were at work before you pulled yourself out of bed. “What were we doing?” you should have asked, but since you didn’ t, I asked the question for you.

The Ghost
Nothing to report. We did a complete ectoplasmic search of the school. We got a reading in the school’s basement. It turned out to be a florescent painting of a monster. In the 1980’s the school’s basement was used as a Halloween spook ally. That false reading gave me a start. The professional Ghostbusters didn’t blink an eye. A bit of fluorescent paint is nothing compared to seeing a swarm of ghosts take a cow out of a field and disembowel it before your eyes. They tell me that ghost’s retain their personalities after death. I was told to be happy our mischief maker was either new at the game or a librarian before death.

They left the school after setting a few traps resembling baby food jars with electrodes protruding from what appeared to be a lime jello base. We have been EUC free for a few days now so our problem may be solved. Time will tell.



The Galileo
The Galileo team is working on simulator repair. The Galileo is tenderly cared for by Set Director Stacy Carroll and her team of Flight Directors: Rachel H., Taylor T., and Ben M.

The Galileo was spit polished on Thursday. The team suffered from mild dehydration afterwards. A few gallons of sparkling and refreshing elementary school water did the trick. They are good as new. Painting followed the spit polish. Stacy cleaned the air conditioning ducts. The Galileo is ready for school’s start on Monday.

The Phoenix
Megan Warner is the Phoenix’s Set Director. She is painting today. The Phoenix’s trim is getting a new coat of silver. I’m smelling the fumes from my desk. I wondering if my reasoning is affected. Paint fumes are known to kill brain cells so elephant to the tramp for silk tub and drain. There was were and I said apple and for lunch!

The Odyssey
Emily is working feverishly on the Odyssey’s new summer story. We talked for thirty minutes and came to the conclusion that the Voyager mission “Lewis and Clark” would work well for her ship. We may make a mid course change. We will discuss this further once they return from Home Depot.

Spencer R. and Kyle Herring are wrapping up the Odyssey refit. Today is clean up and light installation. The Odyssey will be ready for the Monday crowd.

A Friday Off?
I have meetings later today and should be free in time to spend a Friday night away from the Space Center. Imagine that, Mr. Williamson getting a Friday night off! I won’t know what to do with myself. I’m thinking of a movie but understand movie theaters are more crowded than they were the last time I went to a Friday night movie in 1990.
Maybe I’ll rent a video or go out to eat or ......... I’m lost. What should I do on a Friday night? I’m like a fish out of water. I’ll do more research on the topic and should have a decision by Saturday afternoon.

All the Best,
Mr. Williamson

The End of All We Know and Ghostbusters! Our Thursday at the Space Center.

Was Earth hit by asteroid during the night? Is this massive ash fallout the result? The evidence seems to say yes. The skies are dark. Temperatures have plummeted. Could there be chaos in the streets of Pleasant Grove? Is our local WalMart under siege? Are throngs of people stealing arm loads of food and supplies while helpless senior citizen door greeters try to stop the theft with scolding words and excessive finger pointing? Are citizens huddled in their homes praying for deliverance. Am I a witness to the end of the world? Is the wick fueling the flame of humanity at its end? Is there enough time to consume even a small portion of my food storage? I’m far to young to die. I’ve so much to live for. Fortuna, take the young and old. Spare the middle aged. It sounds cruel but its every age group for themselves now. Where’s my gun? What’s this!!? A Phaser? What can I do to protect myself with a bloody phaser?

OK, OK enough of the rambling.

That first paragraph may be the foundation for a mediocre fiction story but happily it is only that - Fiction. In reality, Pleasant Grove was buried in snow last night while we all slumbered. I took the following pictures when I arrived at the Space Center at 8:30 A.M. I thought those of you that don’t live here, including our Space Center friends in other states might want to see this for yourselves. Granted, there are places in this country where this snowfall seems hardly worth mentioning but for an April 16th I’m impressed. How about you?

My Office and Desk at the Crossroads of the Space Center. Yes, the Dumping Ground.

Rachel Stacy and Kyle in a High Level Meeting on the Galileo

We are at work again here at the Space Center on day four of our vacation. My office is a disaster and the Galileo team are having a meeting. I’ve contacted our local branch of GhostBusters to do a complete ectoplasmic scan of the school and Center for strange readings (refer to my post yesterday). I will attempt to recreate the phantom door closing in a controlled environment with proper protection in case the spirits decided to take their mischief one step further. I remember from the movie a great deal of green slime is usually that next step. I’ve fashioned a tolerable rain coat from the large industrial sized trash can liners kept in the school’s cafeteria. I’ll be ready, plastic wrapped, goggled, and paper toweled for anything they conjurer up.

Me, taking a moment before an attempt at parley (look it up and learn something) with a poltergeist.

I’ll keep you posted. And now Pleasant Grove’s Ghostbuster and Pest Control Service is here. I’ll update you once again after we scan the building and attempt to make contact.

Mr. Williamson

An Update and a Ghostly Visitor

Hello Troops,
Another winter day on April 15th. Spring is doing just what Spring is suppose to do - transition our part of the planet from frigid winter to baking summer. Some Spring days give you temperatures in the 90’s and others, like today, give you cold and snow. Spring is a smorgasbord of weather - a delightful feast for those of us that appreciate unpredictable weather.

Today was another busy day at the Space Center. Many staff and volunteers were in working on Summer projects. The Odyssey is slowly being put together and Megan Warner, the Phoenix Set Director, came in to give her simulator a few stokes of the paint brush to cover a splattering of unsightly blemishes.

I took a few hours off to go see Aliens Vs. Monsters, or was it Monsters vs. Aliens? I don’t recall. I paid the premium and saw the 3D version. To be honest I didn’t care for the film The writing and plot was too childish. I’m sure the younger ones enjoyed it but not me. Animated films are a tough sell for an older crowd. Pixar does it well. I’m never disappointed with a Pixar film.

After the movie I stopped at the Space Center to check on the staff. After a few questions were answered and a crisis or two resolved I decided to go home for the night. I made my rounds checking to see who was in the building and locked all the open doors. Stacy Carroll was working in Discovery’s animation studio. I told her I was leaving and to check the doors once again before she left. She gave me an OK. I walked out the door, turned, locked the door and then pushed it back onto the wall mounted doorstop. The door clicked and locked into open position. I turned and started down the hall. That’s when something strange happened.

Just before entering the Briefing Room I heard Discovery’s door unlatch itself from the wall lock. A moment later it close. I wondered why Stacy closed the door. I walked back to Discovery, opened and propped open the door and asked her why she closed the door. She came out of the studio saying she hadn’t shut the door. She thought I had.

That was the second EUC (Event with Unidentified Cause) of the day. On the way back from the movie I discovered my car’s fan wasn’t working.
I didn’t put the two events together until I got home from the school. The third EUC happened when I got out of the car and put the garbage cans back. My neighbor’s dog, started barking at me. My neighbor’s dog has never barked at me. Never. Now this dog was running back and forth barking at me. It seemed agitated. What was going on?

I walked into the house and found the big screen TV on. It was on ESPN. My nephew watches ESPN so I thought he forgot to shut off the television before he left for work. No one else was home. I went into the bedroom for a few moments. When I came out the satellite dish had been turned off. The TV was showing Dish Network’s test screen. OK........ I started putting two and two together.

I’m talking to those who’ve been to a Disney theme park now. Do you remember the end of the Haunted Mansion ride when your car turns toward the mirrors and you discover you have an unwelcome hitchhiker in your car with you of the ghostly persuasion? Well, I was sure that a mischievous little Space Center ghost hitched a ride in my Battlestar and came home with me. That was the forth EUC of the day. I turned off the TV, picked up my computer and began typing up a quick post on a Genie and little boy for my Cloverdale Blog.

Half way through the post the fifth EUC occurred. The power went out. Luckily I was working on my laptop and had plenty of juice for the post. Thirty minutes later the power came on. A few minutes after that my nephew Chaz came home. I asked him why he left the TV on.
“I didn’t watch TV today,” he said. “I got up early and went to work.”
I was surprised. Everyone else in the house was gone all day as well. So, we have our sixth EUC.
Well, to top the night off the power went off again at 8:00 P.M. A seventh EUC all in one day! I think I may be lucky. Spencer Robinson stopped by a moment ago to return the Space Center credit card. He needed it to pick up building supplies for the Odyssey. The power came on right after he left. I’m thinking my unearthly visitor saw a chance to move on. I should call Spencer and warn him my hitchhiker may have caught a ride with him. It would be interesting if several EUC’s hit him tonight! We shall see. We shall see.

We're Working for You!

Hello Troops,
It’s Spring Break! I’m writing to you from the very heart of the Christa McAuliffe Space Education Center - my desk. I’m not the only one working during the vacation. With me out here in space are.

Alex A.
He is working on video. He has a new program for star effects. All of us give him a double thumbs up for his discovery and the go ahead to begin the process of recording and using in the ships.
Jon P. and Spencer R.
Jon and Spencer are working on the Odyssey refit. The Odyssey was brought into Space Dock on Monday. The old girl was desperate for a little TLC. She’s been stripped down to her supports and new desks are being installed. New bunk coverings are going in as well. Its not a major re- architecture but enough work is being done to give the ship a breath of new life.

Dave Daymont
Arriving at the crack of noon is Mr. Dave Daymont. He is working in Discovery on the Phoenix’s new summer story. It has the Borg! Yes, I’m feeling all of you shudder with excitement. Another Space Center story with the Borg.

Stacy Carroll
Stacy is in the Animation Studio working on computer graphics for the Galileo. She will transition from the old Galileo to the new one sometime this summer. The new Galileo will need new material and she is working hard to create it.

Emily Perry
Emily is on her computer working on the tactical screens for her new summer story “Plague” and “The Lost Throne” Imagine that, 2 stories from the Odyssey.

There you have it. While all of you enjoy days of carefree fun and frolic know that your Space Center friends are hard at work creating new and exciting EdVentures for your summer. I’ll keep you posted on developments.

And now, I need to beam up to the mother ship to have my human mask refitted. It was wrinkling in the warm weather we experienced over the last couple days.
(Emily taught me how to use the camera on my Mac. I'm having too much fun)

Mr. Williamson

What Will I Do with One Week Off? And Other things.

Hello Troops,
All of us in the Alpine School District will enjoy our Easter Break this week. Some of you already had your break and some may have theirs after us. I’ve looked forward to this vacation since returning back to work from the Christmas vacation. Don’t get me wrong. I enjoy working. Some say I live to work but honestly, if I don’t get the occasional break from mission after mission, flight after flight I think the repetition would drive me either to drink or to a more prolonged stay at a certain institution in Provo that specializes in treating people who’ve misplaced their sanity and can’t find it for the life of them.

I knew I was ready for this vacation last Friday. I finished teaching my 9:00 A.M. pre-algebra class. The students left the room leaving a quiet behind that I decided to stay and enjoy for a few minutes. My bag of peppermint mints, used to bribe students to focus on their work and not on their daydreams, sat on the desk needing to be put away. I opened the top drawer where I keep my bribes side by side with the teacher’s manual to put the bag of mints away. I reached into the bag to take one out, closed the bag and put it away. I sat on my cushioned chair and spun around a few times while sucking on the mint. I’m not one to leave things in my mouth too long so I went right to chewing. The swallowing when wrong. The mint bits didn’t all go down. I needed a drink.

The Discovery Room has a sink, faucet / drinking fountain combination. I stood over the drinking fountain, bent down and positioned my mouth over the nozzle and pressed the button.

Its a wonder how your memory works. I’m fascinated with what it chooses to remember and what it chooses to forget. My memory failed me at that moment. If it was working properly , like it was designed to do, I would have remember that drinking fountain’s twisted sense of humor. Instead of releasing a nice arc of water it shoots the water at you with the force of a fire hose. The water isn’t aimed at your open mouth. The fountain shoots it at your eyes.

I pressed on the button and was on the receiving end of 9000 pounds of pressurized water right into my face nearly washing my contacts out of my eyes. I stood dazed for a moment while the water ran down my face and onto my shirt. I thought I heard the pipes under the sink rattle in a form of perverted pipe humor. It was right then and there I knew I needed a vacation. My last remaining finger holding me to the cliff overlooking the chasm of chaos and delirium released its hold. I felt myself falling.

A few rolls of paper towels later I was ready to shut off the lights and return to my office. I still had my wits about me - which surprised me. I’m glad because I’d need them for the overnighter and a full day of flights on Saturday that awaited.

What Will I Do?

That is a good question. I considered a trip to Vegas to visit my brother. Decided against it. There is something about Vegas that bothers me. It could be the heat. Or maybe the sound and look 0f all that money flushed down the gambling toilet every day. I think of what I could do with some of that money at the Space Center.

Several in the family wanted to go and spend the week at my house in South Dakota. It sits on the hillside overlooking the town of Deadwood in a beautiful nestled pine covered valley in the Black Hills. I was raised in South Dakota and it is nice to go back for R and R. My mind was changed on the matter when I found out South Dakota was buried in snow from recent storms. Why would I want to go stay someplace where the snow drifts are ten feet high?

Instead I think I’ll stay right in in Pleasant Grove. After all, it is pleasant in Pleasant Grove. Besides, there is enough work to do at the Space Center to keep me busy all week. And there I go again - I have a week off and I still go in to keep up. At least there are no students in the building and there are no missions. I can actually work at my desk in peace and quiet.

Have you ever looked at where my desk is located? I work right in the middle of commotion. I have the Voyager in front, the Odyssey to my left and the Phoenix to my right. All day and all night I hear clashing music and explosions from the three ships. Add a never ending stream of staff and visitors that swarm around my desk all day and all night long out of necessity to move from ship to ship etc. and its a wonder I get anything done at all.

Think of it this way, imagine you are the manager of a factory that uses noisy machines and employees lots of people. Now take your office and put it right smack dab in the middle of all the machines and people. Now, I dare you to get anything done. Go ahead, just try. Now you understand how hard it is for me to focus sometimes and why there are times you see me crouched in the corner with my eyes shut and hands over my ears ;)

Yet...... I still love my job and the people I work with. You are all fantastic and I appreciate the hard work and dedication you give to your job. I know many of you have things you’d like to do at the Center this week so I’ll send out an email with the times I’ll be in every day.

So, lets enjoy this week. Work if we must and play whenever possible. Let’s let our brains recharge and imaginations run amuck.

Bryson's Married!

I attended Bryson Lystrup's wedding reception yesterday. Bryson worked at the Space Center for years and years. It was very nice. Kyle Herring took the pictures below. Bryson looked happy and his new wife was beautiful. Bryson is a lucky young man.

The Happy Couple

Braydn Lystrup, the Young Brother and Voyager FD. I asked him to bring me a fork.
He had someone else do it. That's gratitude for you.

I enjoy a reception with good food and I must hand it to the Lystrups for the spread at this reception. They had a cheese cake bar complete with two chocolate fountains! While most people stood in the reception line I kept myself in the refreshment line. Brock, Spenser Dauwalder and I couldn't leave until we had taste tested the offerings multiple times.

Good Luck Bryson!

And now troops, I’ll see you all in the trenches.

Mr. Williamson