August 3. And Let There Be Light

And you thought your summer couldn't get any worse?

Yes friends, with the Space Education Center on vacation things are slowly deteriorating for the children here in Wonderland. Today, a special emergency relief concert was organized by the world wide charity "Save the Children" to try to occupy a few of their blank hours.

"The children are becoming disengaged without the Space Center," said one parent who brought her son to the concert hoping being with other children would get him to start talking again. "That spark of imagination is missing. Without it they are a tad depressed."

"Disengaged isn't the word for it Love," said a elderly passerby. "These kids are roaming the streets without a spark of life in them. I mean listen to that rubbish," the woman said referring to the tones coming from the accordion. "You know they're practically brain dead to be sitting through that."

Serious droughts of Imagination are being reported throughout Wonderland. One source says that children just stand in their swimming pools. The diving boards and water slides are empty. It's like the children no longer remember what they are used for. We are told children are going to movies and sleeping. Children are seen in the parks laying in the grass, staring blankly into the sky. Children are found in the libraries hiding under tables. Children at home are staring at their televisions, whether they are on or not.

The Space Center urges Courage and a stiff upper lip!

Keep Calm and Carry On.

Hello Troops,
A quick update today from the Space Center.

Kathy is back! The first sign that a new school year is upon us is the return of the school's secretary. Having her back in the office brings a balance to the force (and relief to the Space Center's creditors who have been waiting for payment checks for a few weeks now).

Kathy does our deposit, balances our books and cuts checks to businesses that don't accept credit cards. She also issues refunds to campers unable to attend their camps.

Welcome back Kathy!

Kyle, Jon, Nate and Justus are nearly finished with the installation of the Magellan's new signage. The lights were installed today. Tomorrow the signs go in and the project will be complete. Brittney (the Magellan's Set Director) came by today and gave her enthusiastic blessing.

"We are please by this new addition to the Magellan," she said in the Royal Plural. Brittney is one many people refer to in the plural - especially our campers. She wore white gloves and walked around the set waving to any who poked their head through to door out of curiosity.


Kyle and Justus are seen putting up the sheetrock on the Magellan's new Brig. Jon (unseen) was banging away under the Magellan's raised platforms.


You'll notice the secret escape route out of the brig right over Justus' shoulder. A bench will be built to conceal the opening. Shhhh, its a secret. Don't tell anyone. The Brig's floor is finished and carpeted. All is going according to plan. Our Maintenance Guild are top notch!

And now, a few items of interest from the Imaginarium.....



And perhaps my favorite today. A modern take on "The Wizard of Oz". Slightly darker than the film shot in the late 1930's.

Well, the word slightly might be an understatement.

Mr. W.

August 2. The Work Continues.

"Haven't I seen you somewhere before?"
(For you Dr. Who Fans)

Experts predict there will be world wide mass panic when we discover other intelligent life forms in the universe. Perhaps the older generations may be shaken up, but what about the kids? I think they'll weather the discovery just fine. They were raised believing 'We are Not Alone', and the Space Education Center plays a part in that. I believe the day is coming sooner rather than later. It's time to start considering the possibility......

Hello Troops,
Another day of maintenance and improvements at the Space Education Center. I arrived at 11:00 A.M. to catch up on emails and phone calls and was pleased at the progress our Imagineers were making on the Magellan. It's "Full Steam Ahead!" to accomplish everything on the to do list in the short amount of time we are closed. Here are the latest pictures right off the press.....

You'll notice the light and sign panels are up around the ship. The signs will be installed once we get the blue side plastic. They look awesome.

Nate E. and Justus F. helped today. They are smiling, even though they were just given the nasty job of clean up.


While Nate and Justus were cleaning up, Kyle Jones and Jon Parker worked on the Magellan's new Security Brig. Here you see them installing the floor.




Construction wasn't the only thing on today's Space Center agenda. From 3:00 P.M. to 7:00 P.M. our Programming Guild worked on installing the newest Cocoa software in the Galileo simulator. Matt Long was in the computer lab working on a few bugs when I snapped this photo earlier this afternoon.

And Now, Imagination at Work........... The Imaginarium

She comes across as the kind of woman who would have no problem raising a gaggle of kids while still holding down a job. Would you give her back talk if she were your mom?



Congratulations to the Imagineer who dreamed this up. Take your run of the mill styrofoam cup, add a bit of imagination, and you've given your customers something to admire and enjoy while they sip their favorite beverage. The concept is brilliant.

Imagination makes the ordinary, extraordinary. Watch, Listen and Learn from the best here in the Imaginarium.

Yep, some people are all show and no substance. Learn to tell the difference.
An imaginative way to teach an important lesson on looking deep for real worth.

It all starts with you and your attitude. Believe you can't make a difference and you won't. Believe you can make a difference and you might - with hard work and imagination. There are no guarantees. How will change ever come about if YOU don't try?

Braincakes, a rare delicacy here in the Imaginarium.
Why don't you see things like this at your neighborhood WalMart or Macey's Bakery?

I'm imagining how cool it would be to see one of these floating by on Utah Lake!

Have a Great Evening!

Mr. Williamson

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.