It's Friday! Time for an Encounter of the Third Kind with the WalMartians.

Hello Troops,
It's nearly 6:30 A.M. and time to get ready for my weekly field trip to Wallyworld (Walmart) to spend the Space Center's hard earned money on edibles and consumables for tonight's Overnight Camp.

The Walmartians know me well after years of shopping every Friday morning. We have our own body language. For example, I walk up to the bakery counter and clear my throat. They see me. I wave. They wave back. I nod. They nod back. I blink 7 times, walk 6 circles around my cart and tap my head 15 times. They mirror my signals showing me they understand. I turn away from the bakery with a thumbs up and proceed to the bananas knowing my bakery friends know I'll required 7 dozen donuts at 6:15 A.M. Saturday morning.

Another example of how the WalMartians and I understand each other is when I get to the cashier for check out. I smile. She smiles back. I touch the side of my nose. She taps her forehead with her left index finger while using her right index finger to enter the school district's tax exempt number into the register. You see, its all done without one spoken word. The Walmartians know me and I know them and their peculiar ways.

How about a chuckle or two from the Children's Section of the Imaginarium Public Library.

"Once upon a time on a planet far away there lived a simple bounty hunter doing the best he could to scratch out a simple existence for himself and his clones....."

"No matter how many times he tried, Capt. Kirk could never master the Vulcan greeting, until one day on the rocky planet of Gilgone. There, while stranded after a failed expedition......"

"Apollo Bear and Starbuck Bear listened while Adama Bear explained the danger they were facing from their Cylon bear creations. Starbuck Bear chewed on her cigar while doing all she could to keep from exploding in anger over the loss of her planet and her favorite honey tree."

"Rabbit Paul Atreides stood in the silence of Arrakis' night. The shifting sand beneath his paws was the first indication a sandworm was present. He took several steps back and waited...."

Later I'll be wishing you all a good night from my desk at the Center after we put 45 kids down for the night.

Have a Good Day,

Mr. W.

A Wednesday.

Hello Troops,
Its Wednesday! Big groups today. We will crank up the Galileo and have double class sessions.

We had a great time with the kids from Bluffdale Elementary yesterday. Emily was overheard saying her captain in the Phoenix was so awesome she'd fly missions for him for free. Those of us who flight direct know how important it is to have a good captain to lead the crew.

A few things to get this Wednesday off to a good start.

I had to include this considering I teach one period of math everyday before the field trips arrive.

This made me smile. This store is where I'd like to buy my groceries. I'm thinking the store would be called something like "Edibles". Your thoughts?

And finally, a sobering thought. Look at the graph. Look how close we are to building computers with the same, if not greater, computing power than the human brain. Yes, Ghost in the Shell for sure. Will we reach a point in the next 50 years when start considering our powerful computers as new life forms?

Mr. W.

Dave Daymont. Winner of the Most Improved Flight Director Award for 2010

Hello Troops,
Congratulations Dave Daymont on winning the coveted and less recognized Most Improved Flight Director of the Year Award for 2010.

Dave is special in so many ways. Lovable, at a distance. Huggable (when smiling) and so approachable (except when he's eating. He has a tendency to think anyone coming too close is planning on taking his food. That brings out a side of Dave we don't like to see at the Space Center).

Be sure to congratulate Dave the next time you see him. Positive reinforcement is just what the Doctor ordered (literally. I consult with his therapist weekly).

Simply,
Mr. Williamson