Wednesday

Portugal, For all Those that Don't Know Geography.
Yea, Its in Europe.
Good Grief.....

Hello Troops,
Three more "Cry from the Dark's" yesterday. The Ferengi character is hard on my voice. You know the one, "You're a lier and a poor one at that!" Yea, now you remember :) Towards the end of the mission the ship flies past a star with companion black hole connected by a swirl of star matter. One boy from Greenwood Elementary said loud enough to hear "That looks like Portugal!"
Jon and I got a kick out of that one. Talk about random. I've since looked at the shot repeatedly and have come to the conclusion that the boy has no clue what Portugal looks like, or where it is on the globe.

It's always satisfying to hear the comments from the kids before, during and after our missions. They really are, for the most part, blown away by the whole thing. I must hear the word "Sick" used a least a dozen or more times a day, along with dozens of other adjectives kids use these days to describe awesomeness.

And on today's menu, missions and more missions. And for dessert, more missions. All in a day's work at the Space Center.

Finally, a few things to ponder as you start (or end) your day.

And where are you in this diagram?

Great Idea. Can we include obnoxious campers and students?

It speaks for itself.

This is so true. Every month I buy dozens of pens for our pen box at the Space Center. By the end of every month most are gone. Nobody knows where they went - they're just gone. I'm talking hundreds of pens not just a few dozen. Gone. It is the biggest unsolved mystery at the Center.

Tuesday

Hello Troops,
We had a good return to work yesterday. There were no turkey hangovers and the kids from Greenwood Elementary School did a fantastic job with "A Cry from the Dark". A special thanks to Kyle Herring, Gordan and Alex for a quick, expedited Phoenix chair repair over the holiday. The floor had to be pulled up and the chair welded and attached to the cement.

The December volunteering and working list is posted. That was my major accomplishment yesterday. We have a pool of fantastic volunteers living along the Wasatch Front and I'm grateful for the time and effort they put into volunteering. The volunteers are the live blood of the Center.

A couple pictures for today.

If it was only that easy

It all starts with Imagination. I've preached it my whole life and will never stop.

And Finally, My Picture of the Day. How Awesome is This!
Bet Mom wasn't too happy about it.

I've Shoveled Too Much Today. Time for a Few Laughs.

From the Fortress of Solitude
Pleasant Grove

Hello Troops!

The snow and cold came so fast last night I couldn't keep up with the shoveling, let alone keep track of company. No one noticed Great Uncle Wally was missing until this morning. One of these days Pleasant Grove will have a sewer system, then tragedies like this will never happen again. A sad chapter in our Williamson family history, and what a way to go. Shall we move on?

I'm at my computer. Just finished a Cloverdale Post (stop by and give it a read if you have a minute. www.ourcloverdale.blogspot.com). The village is all dressed up for Christmas and waiting for shoppers.

What about this snow? I'm sick of shoveling. That's the bad thing about living across from a chapel with three wards. I need to keep the sidewalk clear so someone doesn't have a nasty Sabbath fall. Isn't there some kind of Jewish law about how many steps you can take on the Sabbath day? If so, then I it be enforced on snowy days so we can all stay home and I don't feel so obligated to be out at the crack of dawn to clear my sidewalks before the 9:00 A.M. ward meets. Blah........

How about a few items from the Imaginarium to finish this short but sweet post (yesterday's post was mammoth so I deserve a break today).

Picture 1.
Ever drive over one of these and think you'll suddenly get a burst of speed? My Mario Kart friends out there are all giving me long distant high fives for this one!

Picture 2
Now this is a washing label that finally makes sense. What the heck are all those symbols? Let's see, I'll need to do a Google search and pull up a photo of the Rosetta Stone so I can decipher the hieroglyphics. (Pause while I do my research).

OK, I've reviewed the latest research on ancient Egyptian and am ready to deliver my translation.

• Take this garment and wash it with no more than 40 other Clothes.
• Do not place it on a pyramid to dry because that's just stupid.
• The garment is to be put on with one arm up and then over the head.
• It is for People, not Animals.
• Do not put in the dryer.
• And be careful with the negative charge this garment will develop if you roll around on the floor. It could deliver a fatal static charge if you touch something metal.

What do you think? Not bad for someone with a South Dakota education. Right?

Picture 3

Coming up next on the evolutionary scale - Flying Sharks! So much for being at the top of the food chain. We enjoyed it while it lasted.

Picture 4

The seating chart for my family's Thanksgiving Dinner. (Click to Enlarge)

Picture 5
This from the Department of Cool Bedrooms. Talk about being born with a silver spoon in your mouth. On the other hand, these poor boys may have one of those super clean freak moms. Regardless, wouldn't the Space Center be the coolest place in the world if we had real dorms for our campers that looked like this? Somebody please make it happen. All it takes is money.

The government is printing money as fast as the trees can be cut down to make the paper, so where is my share? There must be something in one of these stimulus spending bills for a Space Education Center / Camp.

I demand a Bail Out! Wait. The Space Center is solvent so it doesn't need a bail out. We spend only what we have. Shocker isn't it? That's what's called financial responsibility.

I demand Hand Out! Yes, that's the ticket :)

Picture 5
I went to see Harry Potter over the break. Loved it. The imagination it took to write the books and make the films is a true testament to the wonders of the human mind. Now I wouldn't recommend you do this except to your own bathroom. But here's an idea that could make you a lot of money. Make a nice old fashioned wooden or metal sign with a painted hand pointing downward saying the same thing and sell it during the Christmas Season. Every Potter fan would buy one and hang it over their bathroom toilets. Do it quickly before someone else does.

And finally, for all the Harry Potter fans that work, volunteer and attend the Space Center. This last picture is for you.

Keep your imagination alive and well. Dream Big then go out and Do!

Mr. Williamson