August 1. Our Work is Never Done

The Space Center's Office - empty and nearly dark.

Remember what I wrote months ago in a previous post?
There will always be a light on for you.

Hello Troops,
Day one of the Space Education Center's summer vacation. I climbed up on the roof this morning and switched off the air conditioners (except Magellan's) and checked to make sure everything was secure. I found Kyle Jones in the school's dungeon workshop fevering over the Voyager's new Phototron (antimatter generator) furniture. It's looking good! It will be an improvement in the overall appearance of the Voyager's Bridge.

Later this afternoon I stopped by the school to check on Kyle's progress with the Magellan's new set decorations. Nate E. and Kyle were drilling and banging away. I grabbed the camera and took a few shots to share with you.


Nate E. drawing on the back of one of ten set pieces. Don't know what he's writing or drawing, for all I know it could be the sign of his Highland gang. Have we been tagged? On the other hand, Nate might be practicing his numbers. Nate writes up to 8 legibly. Nines are a challenge, but with due diligence Nate will have his 9's mastered by summer's end.

More signs waiting their turn for installation.

Kyle on the left with Nate. Between them you see two of the new set pieces installed. A backlit sign will installed on the front with blue plastic side panels. They will look sweet or sick or whatever term is in vogue these days with the younger generation.

Tomorrow our maintenance guys will begin work on the Magellan's new Brig / Sick Bay. The entrance will be on the top level of the Magellan's Bridge (refer back to the picture above. The door will be on the wall where you see Kyle's head in the shot). I'll keep you posted with pictures and developments.

I'm enjoying my down time as are the rest of our staff and volunteers. Part of that time is spent at the Imaginarium. I'm a firm believer that one's imagination must be exercised daily. Use it or lose it they say. In my line of work, I can't afford to let my imagination set idle for more than one day or I'll end up like so many others who see only blacks and whites, and believe in only what they can see, smell, taste or hear.



The false front we all use when someone asks us how we are doing and we reply "I'm fine," even though it could be the worse day of our lives. Why do we say "fine" even though there are many days when we aren't? Is it we don't what people to know our business? Is it because we don't want to appear 'out of control'? Is it a matter not wanting to appear weak or needy? We are peculiar, aren't we?


If you want to know where to find me during the break (if I'm not at the Center or home) look no further our very own franchise of Honeydukes Confectioners from Hogsmeade right here in Wonderland just down from the Imaginarium. I have a permanent reservation on the table nearest the window overlooking There and Back Again Lane. Bring your appetite for sweets and a well functioning pancreas. You'll need every drop of insulin it can produce.



Do I hear an "Amen" from the gathered congregation of readers? You know, I'm 53 years old and only now starting to get a handle on the philosophies behind the two statements above.

The perfect card for that special someone with more than an 8th grade education.

And the wolf lived happily ever after, in case you wanted to know how the story ended.

The Social Networking site's propaganda posters.

Meanwhile, the morning commute in India.....

I think the term is "Like a Boss".
You couldn't pay me enough to do what he's doing. I'm getting the shivers just looking at the picture.


Have a great day troops and enjoy the last few weeks of the summer school vacation.


Mr. W.

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.