The Valiant Staff and Volunteers End a Hard Week.

Many of the Leadership Camp and Super Overnight's staff and volunteers Saturday morning. Emily kept them locked in the Discovery Room until they were needed. Any attempt at escape was punishable by being tied down for one hour on the girls sleeping room floor with jam spread on your face. The room is notorious for its billions of little ants that appear out of nowhere when something eatable appears.

Appearing in the photo: Emilie, Matt R., Jackie, Nate (on the floor), Hayley, Ben (white shirt), Miranda, Megan, Tregan, Devin and Jon. Missing from the photo are Adam, Aleta and Alex. Aleta escaped earlier. Emily dispatched Alex to hunt her down. Adam was in the Girls Sleeping Room entertaining the ants. He left the Discovery Room to use the toilet without permission.

Hello Troops,
What a week! We started with a Galaxy Camp on Monday, followed by another much larger Galaxy Camp on Tuesday, followed by a three day Leadership Camp (for the 15 to 17 year olds) followed by a Super Overnight Mission. Sandwiched between every camp were a bucketful of private missions. Many of these camps were staffed by the same people! Shocking as it may seem, many were still coherent Saturday afternoon. Some were able to walk unaided to their cars while others required the school's only wheelchair for assistance.

I'm rightfully proud of these folks. They had a job to do and they did it. Under Bracken Funk's direction they pulled off a very successful Leadership Camp. Under Emily's fearless guidance they delivered another amazing Super Overnight Camp. Kudos also go to Aleta Clegg for a month's worth of cooking crammed into this one week. Everyone worked ridiculous hours and never lost their "can do" attitude. They even seemed to be enjoying themselves. Applause and accolades are therefore ordered from all The Troubadour's readers. Take a moment right now, stand and clap for the Space Center's Rough Riders, our CAN DO, GO TO staff of exceptional volunteers and employees.

Some might say that Mr. Williamson had an easy week, leaving all the work to Bracken, Emily and our other Set and Flight Directors. I'll have you know that rumor is completely and total, almost and without question, somewhat and very nearly true! Anyone saying otherwise will be taken outside and phaser whipped. I did have an easier week - I put in more hours last week than any other of the summer but I wasn't in charge of the Leadership Camp or the Super Overnight. My job was to sit back and deliver copious amounts of not always sought after advice support and correction.

There was one highlight of the week that will stay burned in our memories. We were at the swimming pool Thursday evening with the campers, staff and volunteers. Bracken and others were showing off their diving skills. I was sitting on the opposite end of the pool watching. I enjoy watching the diving because, as everyone knows, if you watch long enough you'll eventually see those precious and beautifully executed belly flops.

Jon Parker was next in line. Bracken had gone just before. His dive was unremarkable. I knew Jon wanted to show the Big Guy how the littler guys do it. Jon stopped for a moment at the top of the three step aluminum ladder. I can't say for sure, but I believe the height of the platform was making him dizzy. He looked down at the cement, then at the water, then at us. He took a deep breath, stared straight ahead into destiny's eyes, and ran down the fiberglass plank into history.

At the end of the board Jon's basic, human instinct for survival overruled his desire to bend forward into a perfect headfirst dive. In a cartoonish manner, Jon kept running forward with no board below him to support his weight. Only at that point did desire override instinct. In mid air Jon attempted to maneuver from running mode to diving mode. Jon met the water face and belly first in jogging position. It was the splash heard all the way to Pleasant Grove's city limits. It is reported and verified by video tape, that customers in the Macy's and WalMart's parking lots heard the sound and stopped to look under their shopping carts looking for split open bottles of 2 liter soda.

Jon's unintended stunt put Bracken to the ground laughing. Jon pulled himself from the water sporting two toned skin - a white back and red chest and face. He bowed then made a bee line to the hot tub to lick his wounds in the company of a more sympathetic crowd.

And Now, the Latest from the Imaginarium.


I give you the quote of the week from Brent Anderson to go along with this snapshot of modern times

Scene.

Mr. Williamson is at his desk working. There is the usual controlled confusion of Space Center activity. Natalie is waiting for her ride home. Brent arrives to pick her up. He enters the office looking for Natalie and something he has orders to fetch and bring home. Mr. Williamson notices he is wearing earphone and thinks it odd a 21 year old returned missionary and former chief programmer at the Space Center would come to the Center with earphones attached and pretending not to know anyone.

Mr. Williamson:

"You too Brent? You're just like these teenagers. You can't go anywere without music blasting into your head 24 / 7. What's wrong with the world?

Brent's Quote of the Week:

"I'm not listening to music. I'm wearing them to keep people from talking to me,"

Couldn't we all use one of these in our bedrooms? We will call it the Spike and Stick. Not good for younger boys. One good wrestling match or karate kick and Junior discovers the unpleasantness of being impaled.

Remember.
Rule 1 in life: Discover who you really are and what you stand for.

We all have voices whispering in our head. Each is heard but not each acted upon. Reason helps us decide.

Steam punked R2D2
Wouldn't it be the coolest thing to have a steam punked simulator!?

Click to enlarge.
Enjoy

OK Troops,

I'm off to Cloverdale to interview Lily Beth Locket for an "Our Cloverdale" post. If you've got a few minutes join me this afternoon for a sparkling lemonade and cucumber sandwich at the Kicking Donkey Pub. Then its off to the station to catch the 5:15 P.M. to Bumblewood for the Bumblewood Song Festival featuring musical ensembles from all over the Shire.

A word of caution - bring ear plugs. A lesson I learned last year after 30 long minutes of old English ballads sung by Bumblewood's very own Patience Puckle.

Mr. W.

The Space Center on Vacation! The Coming of a New Dark Age?

Hello Troops,

Word has it that Pigs have flown! Yes, the news of pigs flying is spreading throughout the Space Center, the Imaginarium and Wonderland. What would cause these sows to soar? The answer is quite simple. Farmer McDonald told Mrs. McDonald that Mr. Williamson, and the rest of the Space Center's scores of staff and volunteers were taking a well earned two week summer holiday. The old rooster overheard their conversation, as he always does (he likes advance notice on which animal in the yard will be served when the McDonald's turn comes around to feed the circuit Preacher). The rooster told the crow, the crow told the field mouse and the field mouse told the pigs which caused such a shock to send them into flight. They were over the telephone wires when the shock wore off. Wonderland's Volunteer Fire Department has been called. The pigs should be back in their pen shortly.

With the Space Center closing for two weeks there is a spreading fear the fire of Imagination may dim world wide. Without the Space Center's high octane imaginative fuel, creativity may wane. Wonderland's talking heads are on the wireless right now talking about the implications of the Center's closing and the possibility such an event could trigger another mini Dark Age.

"There could be a complete break down of society. We could see the rule of law compromised as people lose hope in their future." One said over the crackle of background noise.

"Riots?" Questioned the moderator with shaken voice.

"I didn't say that. I didn't say that," he replied looking disturbed by his own thinking. "But it could be worse."

"Pillaging?"

"I didn't say that. I didn't say that," he replied looking even more disturbed by his thinking. "It could be worse."


"Brother against Brother?" Her right hand was over her chest. Her lips quivered

The commentator shook his head indicating her questions hadn't reached the 'warm' setting.

The camera turned once again to the moderator who was looking equally frightened by the road her questions were taking them. Her face expressed the horror of her thoughts as the next question formed in her mouth.

"Cannibalism!?" She gasped. The camera shifted to the commentator. His chair was empty. He stood at the elevator in a mad dash to get home to protect his family.


Within minutes many of Wonderland's children were seen running for the fields in terror of their once benevolent neighbors. Imaginations ran unchecked by reason. All wondered what would happen to the world with the Space Center's doors closed, even it was for two weeks.

Then, just as the panic reached our beloved There and Back Again Lane, a bulletin was released from the Space Education Center.

IN RESPONSE TO THE NEWS THAT THE SPACE EDUCATION CENTER WILL BE CLOSED FOR TWO WEEKS, THE SPACE CENTER ISSUES THE FOLLOWING CORRECTION.

The Space Center will be closed to missions, but the office will be open for two hours per day to handle incoming calls and emails. The programmers will be in testing the Magellan's new starship controls. The programmers will also be debugging the Galileo's new Cocoa controls. The Space Center's Maintenance Department will be in installing new set decorations for the Voyager and the Magellan. Repairs on the Galileo's torpedo launching system will be carried out. Fear Not! The Center is never really closed.

We are a thought away.

All will be well. The Center opens for missions on August 17th. The world will return to normal. There will be no ice age. The sky will not fall. Banks will not fail and people will not look at each other as a month's food supply.

Babbatt looks across the rainy field waiting for news the Center has reopened. Loneliness keeps her company.
She will wait by the window and will be there tomorrow.

I realize that the Center's brief closing may seem like you've lost a dear friend. Don't be like Babbatt. Get outside and have some fun (a suggestion for our visitors - an order for the staff and volunteers).

It's now 12:01 on Saturday. We finished the Leadership Camp at 6:00 P.M. The season's second Super Overnight Camp started at 5:00 P.M. The Super Overnight Campers (SOC) are out of the Voyager on a landing party into the school's hallways. I'm hoping they don't find the alien intruders (our exhausted staff) fast asleep in attack position.

We will put them to bed at 2:00 A.M. The staff and volunteers will get some sleep and the camp will end at 10:00 A.M. tomorrow. Afterwords a series of private missions ending at 8:00 P.M.

The season ends with a student film crew renting the Voyager to film a movie until 2:00 A.M. Sunday.

The younglings are returning from their away team experience, they are screaming in the hall. That's my signal to go lay down and monitor the evening's proceedings from the comfort of my pad.

Mr. W.

The Space Center is Off the District's Bond

This Photograph shows the moment Mrs. Abernathey,
Chief Imagineer of the Imaginarium's Office of Little Girl's Dreams,
heard the news that the Space Center was removed from the November Bond.

Hello Troops,
A sadness descended across the Imaginarium and Wonderland yesterday when word of the Space Center's removal from the district bond was announced. The workday buzz in the Imaginarium's offices fell silent as hundreds of employees huddled around their wireless sets listening to reports.

Thousands took to the streets to show their support. The Imaginarium's switchboard lit up with hundreds of incoming calls of condolence. Storm clouds formed and reports of hail and high winds were received. Many claimed sure knowledge that this was the end - the sky was surely preparing to fall.

Betty Block, capture the moment she heard the news, as painted by Munch LaRuss. Betty collapsed after the painting was finished. Holding still in her state of shock for the four hours Munch required to finish the painting, was more than Betty's delicate constitution could endure.

Then a calm voice was heard over the radios and loud speakers. Mr. Williamson spoke from the Imaginarium's Observation Deck.

"Troops, this is Mr. Williamson. I want to begin by thanking the Alpine School District for their support in putting us on the bond in the first place. In these troubled financial times, putting a Space Education Center on a building proposal was visionary and risky. With so many pressing needs in the District, it became impossible to justify the costs, especially with a new high school in Lehi being added to the funding list.

For twenty years the Space Center has received the full support of the district. Being taken from the bond in no way changes that fact. And to be honest, I support the district's decision. It is the right decision and I'm in full support. Taxpayers money must be spent on the district's most pressing needs.

So, what is next? The Space Center continues with its award winning programs. We will continue to provide the best field trip in Utah. We will continue our camps and classes. And, because we won't be moving into a new building, we will take our savings and begin an extensive remodeling program for all our ships. In addition to remodeling, I'm announcing plans to start the design of a new 8 person simulator. This new ship will take the Center from five to six simulators. The sun is rising on the Center. Awesome things are coming and I'm very excited.

Now it is time to move forward on the Center's most ambitious projects to date. In 18 months the Space Center will have a new look - all thanks to your support.

What can you do to help?

1. Come to our camps. Come to our classes. Bring parties here. The Space Center is allowed to keep 100% of the money we generate. That money comes from you.

2. Spread the word to everyone you know that the Space Center is an awesome place for birthday parties, parties, camps and classes. I don't want to spend any of our precious funds for advertising. We rely on word of mouth advertising and that means YOUR words coming out of YOUR MOUTH.

3. Keep reading The Troubadour for news. Keep informed.

Now, its time to roll up our sleeves and get to work. The best days of the Space Center lie before us and there is little time to sleep.

Thanks for your Support!

Mr. Williamson


And Now, with everyone's nerves calmed and the sky firmly reattached to the firmament above, let's relax and enjoy the latest from the Imaginarium.

The Imaginarium's Office of Fabricated Weather offers the following forecasts

Leadership Camp. Day 1

Hello Troops,

There be giants among us.

Today was day one of the Leadership Camp. Our oldest campers (15-17 year olds) descended on the Center, sleeping bags and pillows in hand. They tower in size when compared to the fragile 10 -14 year olds we've had on the previous seven camps.

Awesome, is the word I would use to describe my first impression. They are well mannered. They follow directions. And best of all, you don't have to give explicit directions for every movement. They are old enough to handle complex thought and multiple directions given at one time.

"Stand, Breath, brush your teeth, get a drink, put your shoes here, line up here, march in single file, you sleep here, you sleep there, no talking." Those are the kind of directions we give to our younglings.

"Get ready for bed. Report to the Voyager for sleeping assingments." Those are the condensed instructions we can give to the older campers. Their more mature minds fill in the rest.

It's 12:03 A.M. and all is quiet. It's time for bed.

How about a few thoughts from the Imaginarium?

Oreo Art

Seeking Enlightenment at the Wonderland Station

Monday and the Start of our Last Extended Camp Week.

Hello Troops,
This is our last week of extended camps. After that, we have a few weeks off so the school's custodians can get the school ready for the school year.

Have you ever wondered what our staff and volunteers do when not at the Center during their summer vacation? Well, today I thought I'd answer that nagging question.


With the Space Center closing for its annual 2 week vacation our staff and volunteers may find other things to occupy their time There's always the Orangeage Shop here in Wonderland where new friendships bloom over chilled glasses of citrus delight and witty repertoire.



Several of our staff will have to hit the books and relearn everything they've forgotten during the long summer vacation.


A few have arranged other employment to hold them over until the Center reopens. Please help when you can. You can recognize a Space Center volunteer or employee by their pale skin (from being in the simulators all day) and their over use of 'big' words used in complex sentences (highly unusual for their age).

"Hello Sir, I can see you've an interest in reading the news of the day. For a few shillings I can satisfy that desire. Shall we complete a transaction that will be mutually beneficial to us both?"

I know a few of our brighter and more capable volunteers will be honing their acting skills on Pleasant Grove's streets performing scenes from Shakespeare. For a few quarters they will delight you with scenes from Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet and various other Tudor favorites. They've been taught to take good measure of their audience's intelligence before they begin. This helps them adjust their delivery to match their audience's capacity to understand the complex structure of the language. This is accomplished by standing before them and shouting insults in Elizabethan tongue then watching for a reaction.

"Thou beslubbering bat-fowling canker-blossom!"
"Thou impertinent knotty-pated miscreant!"

If expressions of shock and horror are not forthcoming, then they slow their delivery and enunciate their words in hopes the simple minded capture the scene's essence and meaning.

Others in our Troupe of Troubadours will embrace their two weeks of freedom and strike out on their own to discover what adventures Fortuna has for them in her Basket of Fates and Fortunes. Considering volunteers are unpaid and the Center's employees live on starvation wages, our staff use creative methods to travel with little coin. The ability to run and jump are a plus when attempting to board a moving freight train.


Others in our volunteer and staff corps will use their vacation time for other pursuits. A few will dust off their Red Ryder BB guns and take up defensive positions outside the town to protect our citizens from marauders and bandits. Big Brown UPS trucks are a favorite target not to mention bears disguised as dogs and mountain lions disguised as cats.

You can find them anytime between August 1 and August 16 on the roof of Macy's Grocery Store (between 9:00 and 11:00 A.M.). They break for lunch then move to the town's southern boundary and take positions on the Maverick Gas Station's roof . The evening is spent at Discovery Park picking off Indians disguised as joggers and tennis players.

What will you be doing while the Space Center vacations?

See you in the trenches.

Mr. W

Before they could Live

Once again we stand amazed at what hatred can do to the human heart.
And what sadness dawns over the land of the midnight sun knowing so many are gone before they had a chance to live.

There is a better way...

Tired, Tweezers and the Imaginarium.

Hello Troops,
We have one week to go for the extended camp season. We may look like powered corpses due to lack of exposure to the sun (a problem we are correcting with a bit of carefully applied make up to restore living human colors to our skin) but I can assure you we are still giving every mission 100 percent.

Bruising is another problem we deal with at this point in the season. The staff navigate the simulators and hallways on autopilot, their brains catch a moment of sleep here and there - including when they are walking place to place. Our natural autopilot system works well except when unexpected obstacles are put in the halls and corridors. One chair or table or trash can out of place can send an employee or volunteer to the floor or into a wall resulting in sudden shock (from being abruptly woken up) and / or bruises and cuts.

Not to worry, we have EMT's on staff to treat the walking wounded. Mind you, some of them are also operating on autopilot so I require everyone treated by one of our EMT's to present themselves to me for inspection after the treatment is applied.

Just last week I discovered an error made by one of our more experienced EMT's (who will remain nameless to protect his /her identity). A volunteer had a nasty cut on his forehead after walking into a carpet cleaning machine the custodian left in the hall by mistake. The volunteer followed procedure and presented himself to me after treatment. He stood for a unnoticed moment by my desk dripping blood. I didn't see him because of an email I was working on.

"What the Heck!" I exclaimed after looking up and seeing the blood. The teen couldn't talk. Instead of bandaging the wound on the forehead, the EMT had mistakenly applied the bandage over the teen's mouth and secured it with the volunteer's leather belt.

Next summer I'll introduce a mandatory minimum directive that every volunteer and employee get at least 3 hours of sleep per 48 hours. That should improve efficiency, not to mention shave food expenses. With extra sleep Mrs. Clegg, the camp's cook, shouldn't make mistakes like the one last camp where she served a spaghetti of red vines and sauce made of tomatoes, Hot Tamales and Mike and Ikes.

The Quest for Tweezers.

Last week one of our campers stopped me while on playground duty.

"I've got a splinter. Can I get some tweezers?"

I examined his palm and sure enough, he had a splinter. I looked through the first aid kit and found nothing. I searched the school's first aid kit, and again no tweezers. I thought if I drop the matter the camper would forget. He didn't. The splinter festered on his mind like an itch that couldn't be scratched.

"There's a boy on my ship that has a splinter. Do we have tweezers?" Brittney asked an hour later. I knew ignoring the matter wasn't going to make it go away.

I jumped into the Battlestar and drove to Walmart on a quest to find tweezers. I walked into the store and froze for a moment. Where in this football stadium sized store was I going to find a small set of tweezers? I could have asked the grandma working as the door greeter but that would be a cop out. Find the tweezers was something I was going to do myself. After all, we focus on problem solving at the Space Center so I should practice what I preach.

I walked toward the food section and stopped when I tried to think were in the food section would WalMart put a pair of tweezers? I stood frozen for another moment to weigh my options. I knew fishermen used tweezers to make flies so that must be where the tweezers were. I searched the sports section and found nothing. A Walmart employee walked by me. I turned to ask but my pride in being a male who doesn't ask directions stopped me from asking. I stood frozen for a moment staring at the department signs rocking back and forth above my head in the breeze created by the store's swamp coolers.

"Sewing! Women use tweezers when they sew?" I spoke out loud. No one heard so my dignity was intact. I searched the store for the Sewing Department. I found it. I searched the isles. There wasn't a pair of tweezers to be found. The woman in charge of the department saw me. She must have thought it odd that a man was roaming the fabric section of the store.

"May I help you?" she asked.
"Should I ask or not?" I debated in my head. The confused and embarrassed look on my face seemed to startle her. She took a few steps back as if I was about to tell her I was sewing a dress and needed a few yards of lace.
"Tweezers?" I blurted out. There, it was out for everyone to see and hear. Mr. Williamson couldn't find a pair of tweezers in a store he shops in every week.

The woman looked relieved. "Cosmetics," she answered while pointing towards the front of the store.

"Thanks." I navigated through the toy section and reappeared in the pharmacy.
"Make up should be in the pharmacy, shouldn't it?" I questioned myself. I told myself "Yes," and moved toward the soaps thinking make up goes on the face and so does soap so that's where I'd find the tweezers.

I couldn't find the tweezers in the soaps. I couldn't find them in the toothpaste section. I thought it odd I couldn't find lipstick either. Surely lipstick should be paired with toothpaste - shouldn't it?

I felt alone in a crowded store. I felt stupid. I'd lost track of the time but I knew if I didn't return with tweezers quickly the boy would most likely get gangrene in his hand, resulting in the Space Center's very first EMT amputation on a lunch room table.

"Make Up?" I questioned another passing male WalMart Employee. He looked startled then smiled. I knew what he was thinking and quickly buttoned the top button of my shirt. "I need a pair of tweezers for a splinter," I continued. The smile disappeared.

"Over there," he said pointing to the one and only part of the store I hadn't explored.

I found the cosmetics department. I will confess my search was side tracked by the endless colors of lipstick I never new existed. Colors have fascinated me since I was a kid. Yes, I'm the kid who wasn't satisfied with the 16 color Crayola box of crayons. I had to have the box of 48 colors with the built in crayon sharpener in the front of the box. But the thought of Rachel, or Emily or Spenser performing a hand amputation pulled me back to purpose.

A few minutes later I found the tweezers. My search was over. I returned to the school victorious in my quest. The boy removed the irritant. His hand was saved and all was well (except for a very disappointed gang of EMTs who were prepared for surgery).

"There there," I patted them each on the back. "There might me an ingrown toenail on the next camp. After all, cutting off a toe isn't quite as serious as a person's hand, is it?" The thought of toe surgery brightened their mood.

Yes, another day at the Space Education Center.

And Now, Let's spend some time in the Imaginarium, Shall we?


I can't wait for the computer to evolve into a small chip inserted in my head. Imagine the power of a computer and the vastness of the internet only a thought away. Drats, I was born too early. You younglings are sooooo lucky.

The women of the temperance movement.
Now I know what drove their men to drink :)

Ahh, the problems of the upper middle class.
Those of us in the lower middle class don't own an ice cream scooper.
The upper class have someone on staff to scoop their ice cream for them!

How to read the moods of your pets.

Woodynator

If there was anyone on the planet that needed a hug, it was him.

And a few more sights of Wonderland along our favorite lane.

Dorleea Eldora Pock is a teacher at Wonderland Elementary School and lives at 32 There and Back Again Lane in Wonderland. She lives in an vertical world and has done so ever since she was a young girl. She is under a doctor's care for a nervous condition. Part of her treatment is to introduce curves into her environment. Her new lamp shade arrived from the clinic's gift shop yesterday. She finds it difficult to relax with the serenity of her enviroment upset but realizes it must be done if she wishes to return to her classroom.

Her doctor's next goal is to introduce Dorleea to color. It is a bold step but one she must take if she wishes to return to work at Wonderland Elementary School.


Laura Livingston has been appointed to take Dorleea's place at Wonderland Elementary School. The students took to her immediately. She sings. She dances. She teaches them to use their imaginations.

"Paint," was the only thing Laura requested from the school's headmaster after being appointed to the position. "These blacks and whites must go."

You read it didn't you? There you go, breaking the rules. When will you stop?

This History of this house is there for all to see.

Ever feel like this?
I think it's a good thing.

I've spent my life looking for a cause. Perhaps I've found it :)

Sorry for the Long Post, but hey - I haven't posted for the entire week?

Mr. W.

It's Monday. Our Last Ultimate Camp Starts Today!

I'm glad this isn't part of the school curriculum any longer.
I had to do the duck and cover drills when I was in elementary school.
We lived in fear of the Soviet Union and its large nuclear arsenal.
Back then I believed in the power of school desk construction. I knew that wooden
top and steel frame could and would protect me from a direct strike.
Today's desks are lucky to be sturdy enough to hold a few textbooks and the head of a sleeping child

Hello Troops,
Our last EdVenture / Ultimate Camp starts this evening. Will the Odyssey and Phoenix have air conditioning?

I drove to the school at 7:00 A.M. this morning to be the first to call in a work order on the roof top unit. No one answered so I left a message. I just got a phone call from our custodian that maintenance was there and on the roof.

"The fan seized up," Rodger told me. " If the compressor isn't cooled it overheats and shuts down."

Rodger will tell him to take a fan unit from one of the school's other air conditioners and put it on ours if he doesn't have one available. We've got an awesome school custodian.

If I had to identify the top three sources for my work related stress and worries they are:

• Maintenance. What will break down next and how will it affect ongoing operations.

• Staff Issues. Who is being mean to who. Who has issues with who. Who will work with who. Who isn't pulling his or her weight. Who is slacking off and not giving their work their best effort. Human resources are always a source for hours of a manager's mental and verbal effort on a weekly basis. Its the same in any organization. I'm just happy the Space Center has a staff of caring individuals whose mistakes usually stem from immaturity. Most of them are teens and we all know growing up is a bumpy road.
  

• Injuries are the next thing on my list. Safety is paramount in Space Center Operations. The nagging thought of "What could go wrong" always rattles around in the back of my head. "What could go wrong and what can you do to prevent it from happening," I say to my staff regularly. I want safety to be on the forefront of their thinking in relation to working with our campers and equipment.

I'm about to leave reality and catch the Wonderland Express for the Imaginarium. Here's hoping you'll be joining the rest of us soon at the Space Education Center. Remember, we have stories to tell and lessons to teach so we'll keep the lights on for you.

Mr. W.

What happens when you sleep. Don't go anywhere without your Teddyknight.

A different way to say "I'm sorry"

I find this graph sums it up perfectly. The less information I have on any topic the more confusing it is. On the other hand, I find myself getting confused if more information floods in after I think I've got a handle on the situation or topic. I find this true when faced with understanding why people do and say the things they do or if I'm trying to understand complex political or religious issues.

And now a word from the Space Center's Guru and part time Wise Man.

The story of life. Appreciate the people that are walking with you.

I wonder how many sandals Fred and Barney go through in any one month?

I'm looking into buying stock. How can I go wrong with this economy? I wonder if they have a broom capable of duplicated the smooth ride and comfort my Battlestar gives me?


Now, no more delays. Time to get to work. It won't get done on its own you know.

Mr. W.