What's New at the Space Center and the Imaginarium, Of Course

Hello Troops,

The Space Center is closed for electrical upgrading.  This is an extensive upgrade.  The electrical veins and arteries of all five ships and the Discovery are being checked.  New wiring will be added where needed along with numerous new plugs and electrical boxes.  The Voyager and Odyssey will take the most work.  The Magellan, Phoenix and Galileo the least.   

I'm anticipating the electrician will begin this week.  How long it will take is anyone's guess.  One month is optimistic.  Three months is what the pessimist would say.  My advice to everyone is not to hold your breath. 

The Space Center's office was officially closed on Friday and rekeyed.  Not even I can get in during the refit.  The Space Center's office was moved to the school's north trailer.  I'm operating out of room 142.  

Would you like to see my temporary office and classroom? 

 

Your first glimpse of the Space Center 's temporary office and classroom.

Looking toward the back of the room.  Remember, I still have my math class every morning 

from 9:00 to 10:30 A.M.  The student desks are set up and ready to go.  This half of the trailer

was (and is) used for storage.  It took me awhile to move everything out of the way to make

room for the student desks.

I walked to the back of the room to take this picture of my desks.  

A zoom in showing the nerve center of the darkened Space Center.  You'll notice 

everything is in its proper place.  This is where I'll be working during the refit.

I'll be teaching math, writing missions and curriculum.  I can be reached at a new 

Space Center phone number until the Space Center's phone is rerouted to the trailer.

My new number is 801-785-8711. Extension 142.

Look, a new addition to my collection of trinkets, a Staples "That was Easy" button.

I'm settled in and ready to go.  Beware of the wasp dive bombers circling the outside of the trailer's doors if you come to visit me in exile.  No need to knock, just come right in.  The school's two trailers are on the school's playground (west side of the school).  

I'm like a fish out of water.  There are no missions to schedule.  There are no volunteers and staff to coordinate.  There are only a few emails waiting for me in the mornings instead of dozens.  I may get one or two phone calls a day instead of dozens.  I'm working outside the school building, as far from the school's office as possible.  My trailer is deadly quiet except for the sound of the air conditioner and my music.  It's surreal and perhaps dangerous.   For 21 years I've worked roughly 80 hours per week during the school year and nearly 120 hours per week during the summer.  Now, I'm barely pushing 40 hours per week.   I'm able to go home at 4:00 P.M. instead of my usual 7:00 P.M.  I have my Friday nights free.  I don't have to work Saturdays.  Yes, I'm taking a pay cut during this electrical refit, but what if I start to like living like a normal person?  

They better get this job done quickly.  I'm starting to feel the chains loosening, and if I'm not mistaken, what is that light far off in the distance? 

At least we still have the Imaginarium and all our other friends here in Wonderland.  Enough talk of the refit.  Let's take a walk.  

   

 There goes my excuse!

 In one of Wonderland's many parks advising the pedestrian not to exceed the

walking speed limit.

   

In my home state of South Dakota you see these "Speed Enforced by Aircraft" signs 

along rural roads.  As a child, I always wondered how the speed limit was enforced by an airplane.

Now I know.

The Troubadour's readers know my love for imagination.

Well, here you go.  Excellent sign for the Emergency Room.

Summer Perfection.

Who would have thought to put the tramp next to the pool?

Now this is what I call a slide.

This is old school, before the days when playgrounds were childproofed.

I remember a slide just like this at my old elementary school in Rapid City.

You went down the slide if you wanted to be respected by the 6th graders.

If you wanted the teachers' respect, you went down sitting on a sheet of waxed paper for

that extra burst of speed!

You're kidding.  Who would've thought?

Jenga played for keeps.

Of course.  Leave it to the Brits.  They know how to get your attentions.

No shirt, no shoes, no service?

Not a problem to the person with a bit of imagination.

A bit of imagination for the dinner table. 

A cucumber whale surfaces from the formica.

Rio is getting ready for the Olympics

This is the kid everyone hates.

This is the kid with the loudest parents.

There are always a few.  It is one of life's rules.

Would you even think of going to school without one?

A grading stamp for the honest teacher.

Advice for the semi retired Space Center Director.

Where would you dare open it?

You smiled.  Admit it.

The imaginative person cannot pass something like this without adding something to 

take it to the next level.

Am I the only person who wondered why this was so?

Thank you all for your patience while we finish this Space Center upgrade.  Remember to check the blog for regular updates.

Mr. Williamson

PS.  Now please excuse me.  I've got several papers in my hand and I'm going to do my hourly speed walk through the building  :)

The Day Before.....

Hello Troops,

Let me begin by saying that there is no news on how long the Space Center will be closed for the electrical upgrade. I've spent the last two days notifying the people booked for parties and camps that we are closed and arranging refunds if warranted.  People are very upset (and they have every right to be so).  I hope they understand closing is something we had to do.  Our electrical issues must be solved now.  

Keep checking The Troubadour for more news and information. 

Today is the day before teachers report to their Institutions of Education and Advanced Testing.  We spend tomorrow in professional development, meaning we receive instruction on how to prepare the student (you) to pass your state exams.  Don't let us down.  Soon a portion of our pay will be determined by how many of YOU pass those exams.  The pressure is building.  

Is it right to direct all instruction toward the almighty test?  There are experts on both sides of the issue with convincing arguments, and don't look to me for the answer.  I'm as confused as you are.  Until its all figured out, the student (YOU) should always do your best and LEARN.  We teach and you learn.  That's the agreement - right?  

Students must be good questioners and listeners.  Keep your mind open to all sides in a discussion of opposing views.  Learn to identify real facts from the smoke and mirrors of fancy language and use those solid facts as the foundation for your own opinion.

Mr Williamson Climbs Up on His Soapbox.  Be Forgiving  

We are in the throws of an election cycle.  The Republicans and Democrats are blanketing the airwaves with verbiage they want you to file as absolute facts.  They make broad statements like, "The American people want....."  and spew out their memorized and coached pitches hoping what they present as facts will sail unopposed through your questioning and logic filter and land in that part of your brain reserved for absolute truths.  Remember, politicians are salesmen, selling their wares out of the back of rickety old wagons that have been around for centuries.   Every 'gem' they sell is wrapped in some form of truth.  Its what's under the wrapper that should be held in suspect.  Take this statement for example,  

"We are in the midst of a great recession...... !"  This statement is the outer wrapper.  It is the truth. So far so good.  We remove the truthful wrapper and see another.  

"This recession is the cause of homelessness and high unemployment.  Families are struggling to meet their financial obligations."  

We nod in agreement.  We like what we see.  We're convinced this remedy, pitched by a well dressed, well polished salesman out of the back of his rickety wagon on the side of the dusty road, is the real cure for our national upset stomach.  

You unwrap the second wrapping and see the beating heart.  "And what is the cure for this madness?  Friends, let me tell you the truth......"  

There it is.  What should you do?  Think and Question. 

  

Be caution with someone or something that tells you not to question or think for yourself.  Be wary of someone or something that reserves certain facts, truths and information - and tells you that those things are not necessary and not important.  Agreed, there are things in live that should be kept confidential and others that shouldn't but are.  Wonder, "What and why is the information hidden?"   

I suggest we use our God given brains for something more than a wind stopper between our ears.  We should THINK and QUESTION.  When it comes time for you to take a stand, you can do it intelligently and with purpose.  

A true education should teach you how to discern fact from fiction.  It should give you the tools to be a life long learner.  A true education should give you a knowledge base in language, rational thinking, philosophy, science, math, history and the humanities.   These basics act as filters in your search for meaning and truth.  These things must be taught in American's schools.  

Let's have a great school year.  Let's be thinkers, listeners and questioners.  

  

And now, Things from the Imaginarium

  

A stairway that belongs in the Imaginarium.

I put this here knowing you may need it some day.

Just because it's classical doesn't mean it can't be fun.

An excellent way to say goodbye and hello in the same poster.

Bolt was amazing.  Bolt is amazing.  

You couldn't have a better name for who he is.

A good shirt to wear to that party of extroverts.

I'll bet it's good in the German snow.

I'd look good in something like this.

A 10 for imagination.

Instead of normal boring airport chairs, you think outside the box and give people egg chairs.

This is how I feel on a Monday morning when I get to the Space Center.

I always leave with everything done on a Saturday afternoon.

I always find this waiting for me at 8:00 A.M. Monday.

What we may need if this drought doesn't subside.

I got the chills just reading it.

What is sold at an Inconvenient Store?

Regardless,  the name alone would draw me in.

A 10 for Imagination.

A gem to use when your teacher or coach ask you if you always give 100%.

All I ever see on Facebook some days.

Have a Great Day Troops and be positive.  This too shall pass.  The Space Center will be open soon.

Mr. Williamson

The Space Education Center Closes for Upgrades

Hello Troops,

I hoped August would be good to us.  We worked hard all summer long.  We set a new attendance record for the summer season.  We spent countless hours at the Center running camps and private parties.  We survived the government free breakfast and lunch program.  Everything seemed to be going our way.  August was suppose to provide a few weeks of rest and relaxation and then we would all march happily back into the trenches for the school year season.

UNTIL......

During our yearly scheduled maintenance we discovered several electrical issues that must be resolved.  We also have other issues in the actual simulators that must be changed and update to meet current code.  These issues will required the Center to be closed for several months while our district's maintenance department works through the repair and refit process. 

Children worldwide react in shock to the News.

Not to fear.  All will be fixed.  We just need some time.

The bad.  

• The Space Center will be closed until all the work is done. 
• All employees are off during the upgrade.
• All volunteers are off during the upgrade. 

The Good! 

• We will get a perfectly working Space Center with enough power and plugs for everything we need.  
• Our ships will be up to current building codes. 

Staff and volunteers, that means you won't have to put up with me for a few months!  You can rejoin the real world, smell the roses, walk down the sidewalk and reintroduce yourself to your neighbors, relearn the names of your siblings, parents, friends and cousins, go on a date or two if your old enough, text a long dismissed friend and ask, "Want to hang out?"  The possibilities are endless. 

Enjoy your freedom!

  

Feel the wind in your hair and the sun on your back.

Campers

I must apologize to everyone who had their private missions and overnight camps canceled because of the upgrade.  Those of you who were scheduled to come on one of the August or September Overnight Camps will have two options.  You may have your money refunded or you may choose to receive a gift certificate for one Overnight Camp to be redeemed once the Center reopens.  I will be calling to ask  your decision.  

Field Trips

The Center will open for field trips as soon as the work is finished and we get the green light that all is well.  I anticipate it will be a mad house of schools and teachers trying to book their classes for the shortened Field Trip season.    

The Space Center's Reopening Day

   

This shortened field trip season happened once before during the 1999 - 2000 school year when the Center was closed for remodeling until the end of November.   That year the Center took one grade level per school (primarilly 6th).  Many new schools have opened during the last 12 years.  Hopefully some teachers will take a Space Center break this year and go to Clark Planetarium instead.

To be fair to all schools, a lottery will be held for the remaining field trips days.  Teachers, please visit the Space Center's website or blog regularily for updates.  You'll be told when to call for a field trip slot.  Thank you for your cooperation and understanding.  This upgrade is absolutely necessary and must be done now.  

Staff    

Addition information will be sent by email.  I will keep you all updated on developments.  If it comes down to spending your afternoons on the curb near the WalMart with a cup in hand and a sign reading 

Out of work

Anything will help.

God Bless

let me know and I'll be right down to help.  You take one side of the street and I'll take the other.  I'm also willing to help you dumpster dive for redeemable bottles and aluminum cans.  Please don't ask me to join you at the plasma donation center.  Needles and I don't get along very well.  We could also do some street performances to raise a bit of cash.  My voice is survivable, I just need someone who can play an instrument. I know Zac plays the guitar. 

You know troops, we could become real Troubadours, traveling from bus station to mall to train station performing.  I'm thinking song, dance, aerobatics, magic tricks and a few select readings from Shakespeare.  

Again, I'll send more information out by email and please call me at the Space Center during school hours if you have any questions.  We can get through this and will have better, safer ships when all is said and done.  

Mr. Williamson? 

What shall I do during the upgrade?  For the first time in 21 years I'll be able to live a somewhat normal life, arriving for work right when I should and not an hour early, and leaving at 4:00 P.M. and not 7:00 P.M.  I'll have my weekends free!!  I may actually see a movie.  Gee, I think the last one I saw was way back in 1990.  Are they still $3.00 for an evening ticket?  What will happen if I become accustom to a normal life, and don't want to return to a 70 hour work week?

I really like what this guy is doing and think I might franchise and start a conversation corner here in Utah.  I'm fairly intelligent and know something about most things.  I engage well and have been known to twist an ear from time to time with witty remarks.  Look for me outside University Mall on Friday nights between 5:00 and 9:00 P.M.  Who knows, I might get invited to join someone for a nice meal at one of the mall's restaurants.  That will save on the food budget until the Center reopens.  I'll be taking a cut in pay during the upgrade and will also need to find a way to makes ends meet :)

In addition to my Conversation Corner,  I will write another school mission and polish the ones we are currently telling.  

Let's not let this bump in the road get us down.  Always think positive.  All will be well.  

Now, join me for walk through the Imaginarium.  We need a laugh.

Something very Van Gogh about this......

Meet my nephew and niece.  They spend their summers in Hulett, Wyoming where

my sister and her husband own an old west museum and antiques shop. They spend the school

year in California.  

My nephew and niece run their own side business during the Sturgis Bike Rally in  August.  Look at their new sign.  It reads,  'Hot Dog's Soda and Water'.  Yes they have apostrophy in Dog's.  I pointed it out.  

"These are Harley riders, do ya think they're gonna notice?" was Draker's response.

I sent them the following picture to teach them the importance of correct punctuation.

They didn't get it.  I attribute it to their poor California education.

I love these three characters.

I love their town.  Mayberry is just the place for me.

Missing is my forth favorite person - Floyd.  I could spend 

hours sitting with him outside his barbershop watching the days tick by.

Finally!  

I get it!  

I wish I could say this to some of my student's parents.

It could be offensive and we would't want to offend the unruly child's parents, do we?

You know how much I respect humor in packaging.

This gets a 10.

Two examples of pure imagination in design.

Do I hear an Amen from the congregation?

We had our problems back in the day.

It wasn't just drunk driving you know.

What I do when I want to take life to the edge.......

OK NASA. Get it right next time.

Send the Google Earth car to Mars.  Geeeeze.

Its a no brainer.

Americans can't win.

And finally, a traffic engineers design of a bridge linking two

countries where they drive on opposite sides of the road.

Hong Kong (they drive on the left) and Macau (they drive on the right)