Stewart Creations

my new hangers

mammal — Sun, 20 May 2012 01:20:07 +0000

Sylvia, the artist-in-residence at the Curley School Art Colony, does a lot of metal work, and I commissioned her for some Day of the Dead dolls hangers that turned out so great!
She held seminars in welding and cutting torch, cutting up some huge bunch of bikes and getting a multi-hedron ball of triangles. It looks vaguely geodesic-dome. but completely round.
She has all the equipment, like any welding cable you might need. It’s just too hot right now for an outdoor workshop.

the last time, really

mammal — Sun, 20 May 2012 01:09:40 +0000

This is the last excerpt I have to share with you from the last school paper…probably:
Another of Hofstede’s values that illustrates the difference between the United States and Argentina is the individualism score, which is 91 and 46, respectively.
Individualism is the one side versus its opposite, collectivism, that is the degree to which individuals are integrated into groups. On the individualist side we find societies in which the ties between individuals are loose: everyone is expected to look after him/herself and his/her immediate family. On the collectivist side, we find societies in which people from birth onwards are integrated into strong, cohesive in-groups, often extended families (with uncles, aunts and grandparents) which continue protecting them in exchange for unquestioning loyalty (Geert-hofstede.com).
This reflects the deeply individualistic society found in the United States (91) compared to the extended family ties found in Argentina (46), which translates into the feeling that being part of a group is more meaningful than individual endeavors. The extended family expects to care for each other’s children and the elders as part of the family structure, indeed, elders are an important component of the family and in Argentina, it is the norm to greet the oldest person in a group first out of respect. Surprisingly, scores for power distance, or “the extent to which the less powerful members of organizations and institutions (like the family) accept and expect that power is distributed unequally” (keithley.com), are similar between the two countries, with America at 40 and Argentina at 49 (Geert-hofstede.com).

sunburn

mammal — Fri, 18 May 2012 21:17:24 +0000

I got sunburned driving to and from Rocky Point the other day without AC. I have a nice nut-brown left shoulder and arm. If I’d gone to a sunless tanning booth I’s be a lot more even, but now what I need to concentrate on is to be the passenger on some long trip with the windows down.
No, I should pass on that one, it actually burns. My sweetie ordered some new stuff for the AC that will work in place of the stuff they don’t make any more.

work for hire

mammal — Fri, 18 May 2012 21:13:14 +0000

I have a couple of opportunities to make a wage coming up. The guy who bought the imitation-rock camera-hider wants another, that’s $50.00 more dollars in my pocket if I can keep interested in it; I’m bisque-firing a prototype soon. And a friend is moving across the state and wants to hire me to drive one of his rigs. We’ll see how that works, he’s got a lot of cars and I’ve got a lot of time.
At least nobody has commissioned me to build any metal buildings, but like I advised the rock guy, if they did, I would advise them to buy their shed online.

argentina

mammal — Fri, 18 May 2012 21:08:02 +0000

It’s long enough past the term that I can publish parts of my big paper. If I publish as I go, then when they do a plagiarism check they’ll get a hit on my own version, but as I’ve mentioned, I already got an ‘A’ for this paper, so here goes some more of it:
A complicating factor in Argentina’s current rural poverty rate echoes the disappearance of the small, self-sustaining farm in the United States of a few decades ago. Argentina’s small ranches are disappearing, along with the unskilled labor market supported by small ranches and farms, creating urbanization , or a shift of the population to cities.
In the last four decades alone, landowners have converted a third of the basin’s 760 million acre area from grasslands and forests into crops – especially soy. The economy, along with the availability of genetically engineered crops, has driven the transformation. Profits from the export of corn and soy have kept landowners in business, while the taxes on the exports provide crucial support for the governments involved (Lenart).

Sam Mitchell

mammal — Thu, 17 May 2012 23:43:09 +0000

Our little girl is married and has changed her name. It was such a beautiful wedding, I’ll post more pic soon. This one is the last dance, and lots of people are already gone.

The happy couple is honey-mooning in the Bahamas by now, after a couple of days in the Big Apple and a little cruise, I hope Sammie gets to the water feature on Paradise Island.
Dave is still building bikes to pay for it, he visits sites such as Tourmaster Transition scouring for parts, decals, advice. One more bike and he’ll be done paying for the wedding. It was a really nice party, though.

hot

mammal — Thu, 17 May 2012 23:36:16 +0000

It’s finally getting hot here, perfect weather to make you love your prescription sunglasses from GreatEyeglasses.com. This is the season that separates the desert rats from the snowbirds.
Well it’s not too bad in the shade, but Karen and I went to Rocky Point yesterday, yes we had fun.

We went to a Mexican grocery store and had a nice lunch on the beach at Gamma’s, if you know where that is, right next to the Plaza Las Glorias. They always feed me well.
But the point is, we did it all in a non-air-conditioned car. The Miata needs to be charged and the stuff it takes is no longer made, so Dave is figuring out a solution.
It was mighty hot by the time we got back home.

finally done with this term

mammal — Thu, 17 May 2012 22:24:28 +0000

I got all ‘A’s, naturally. Here is an excerpt from my sociology paper:

A 2010 blog post by an author using the pen name of Cosmetologist07, who is a relative of a doctor in Argentina, has this to say about the wealth inequity in that country:
“Argentina is definitely not poor, but many people are. The country has immense riches: the land (agriculture), precious metals, even petroleum. And after Canada, one of the biggest water reserves of the world. BUT with the corruption… sigh. What can I tell you? All these riches… they often don’t reach the people. A few, mostly politicians, living the great life: boats, BMWs, mansions, their own airplanes all paid by the taxes… and then lots of people poor, so poor, they barely have enough to eat. Doctors at public hospitals having to bring in a big pot from home to boil their instruments in (my uncle is a doctor and he did). Teachers on a hunger strike because they haven’t been paid for 4 or 5 months. All this in this rich, rich country. What a shame” (Cosmetologist07).
No wonder Argentinians have an exceptionally high uncertainty avoidance score.
Uncertainty avoidance deals with a society’s tolerance for uncertainty and ambiguity; it ultimately refers to man’s search for Truth. It indicates to what extent a culture programs its members to feel either uncomfortable or comfortable in unstructured situations. Uncertainty avoiding cultures try to minimize the possibility of such situations by strict laws and rules, safety and security measures (Geert-hofstede.com).
Argentina scores 86 to our 46 on uncertainty avoidance, which can be partially attributed to the economic collapse in 2001 after a ten-year economic boom, with banks closing and peoples’ savings forfeit. This was accompanied by inflation to the point that one peso would buy only $.66 worth of goods.
.
I know it sounds pedantic, but I have to consider my audience, so I couldn’t make it as entertaining as I’d have liked.

K and M

mammal — Sun, 06 May 2012 18:47:12 +0000

We are lucky to have friends who love our dogs. Dogs aren’t hard, but they can tell if you love them, and our dogs treat Mike and Karen like family, which is why I feel so comfy leaving the house and dogs.
This is a freedom that we haven’t had in years, to get away.
I am going to shop for all the stuff you can’t get here, like wolverine boots, for one, but I also need other kinds of shoes, and I need buckets from Home Depot for ceramics. I should get a trip to the Asian market for sesame oil.
Lots to do, but Paris and I are going to hang out all day Friday while Dave does the rehearsal and such.

from ajo to mesa

mammal — Sun, 06 May 2012 18:41:46 +0000

We are getting geared up for Sammie’s wedding, making lists like mad, I think Dave should have a very good time, so I’m being real careful of my manners for him. I’ll be glad when it’s over, but to see Sammie settling into her own home is a beautiful thing. And she gets a kick-ass vacation, too.
She’s a very remarkable person, and has always been very firm in believing in herself and her decisions. I only ever saw her lose her self-confidence once, and there was good reason for that.
I guess what I’m trying to say, is that Sammie knows what she wants, and I hope she always gets it, because what Sammie wants is only the good things, the honorable and decent parts of life.
You go, Girl!

brain diseases

mammal — Sun, 06 May 2012 18:20:33 +0000

NYTimes has an article that illustrates some of Mom’s symptoms. look here http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/06/health/a-rare-form-of-dementia-tests-a-vow-of-for-better-for-worse.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss&src=ig to read the article.
My friend, Xtina, has a sister who exhibits a lot of this type of behavior, too. It’s really sad, but at least Winnie is calm. It’s an eerie, quiet, compliant, calm, but we take what we can get, and at least she seems happy.
I don’t know how we are going to get her to the eye doctor to rid her of the cataracts, but we will somehow.
We are going to do that right after the wedding.
We have a friend in Mexico, Chiao, an old friend of Mom’s who wants to come north for awhile and make some money. Or at least that’s what Beto and Winnie say. She would be the perfect solution, so Dave is going to take a trip down there and see if he can facilitate the crossing papers. I guess it takes a $100 in the bank in her name before the U.S. will let her in, and we can do that. The sooner the better, but that will wait until after the wedding, too.

soc 101 homework

mammal — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 21:08:35 +0000

My week of stereotypes:
In a typical week in the small town of Ajo, Arizona, I see a pimply-faced teen white boy who works at the grocery store. He got his picture in the local paper when he got his GED a few months ago. I also see lots of snowbirds, geezers, and desert rats (dry-camping in the desert for free) at the store. In my public studio space, I see snowbirds and lots of artsy-fartsy types; there is one guy in particular who is from the neighboring Indian Nation, and really looks the part, with long hair, soft voice, and downcast eyes, and there is a bunch of homeless middle-aged American Indian men who have lived in the alleys of Ajo since I can remember, but the rest of the Tohono O’odham kids I see (along with the Mexican kids) are high school dropouts in the GED program near the studio. My next-door neighbors are losers in grimy t-shirts, with motorcycles (that never run right), tattoos, and bad teeth.

dogs, dogs, and more dogs

mammal — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 00:51:09 +0000

Mom and I called Aunt Elaine today and talked at least an hour between us. I sure love her! Funny thing, Mom thought it was Elaine’s birthday, but it’s in May, not April. We talked about dogs awhile, I told her how excited I was to be going on our maiden voyage in the 5th wheel for Sammie’s wedding, which, coincidentally, will be right around actual Elaine’s birthday. Of course we talked about dogs, and she told me of a place where there were kennels for sale in case we needed some for the trip. I told her we are probably only taking one or two dogs with us, if any, this time, so we’re covered, but it made me think, maybe we should start shopping for crates right now for the summer trip which will be for a month at a time… and with all the dogs.

argentina votes

mammal — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 16:25:37 +0000

There are more democracies in the world than you might think. Even though Argentina was a Communist country until in the late eighties, it still had a democratic government. The communism was the economic style, and it wasn’t working so well. Since they switched (they voted in a capitalist) they have been gaining steady economically. Of course, they still have the corruption, which is probably due to something in the soil or air or water in Latin America.
My contrast and compare paper is on Argentina this term. I’m learning a lot.

my neighbor’s eggs

mammal — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 01:43:16 +0000

We went to Cheto’s El Cobre Feed Store for dog food today, and our neighbor, Joaquin, was there buying chicken feed (of course). We talked a little about poultry, and he said he’s got 2 broody hens and we offered to buy some of the hatchlings for Beto’s chicken set-up. First the chicken house must be built, but that’s no probelem for Dave and Beto, they can build anything.
Remember those turkeys that Mom and Beto rescued last year? The tom died, but the hen is laying eggs. I talked about how lucky he was, because turkey eggs are wonderful! He agreed, and a little later when we were all home again, he came over with these beauties! I know what I’m having for dinner!

turkey eggs in the middle

with red on it

mammal — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 18:34:11 +0000

The tail is all that has the red on so far, but he’s adding swooshes on the sides. This kind of paper shrinks when you wet it (?) or there is a special liquid to paint on that shrinks the paper, whatever, the paper gets to be drum-tight, for wind resistance, I gather.
A new hobby is as good as walmart careers for beating the old-age retirement blues. Of course a job brings in more money than a hobby, there is that to consider.

sweet model plane

mammal — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 18:05:45 +0000

The model plane the my sweetie is building is getting the paper covering, look how beautiful! tonight he puts on the red paper decoration and then the thin black pinstripe.

it’s not that expensive of a hobby, so he still could afford to buy gold if he had a mind to, it wouldn’t hurt a thing.
He has all the parts, I think, there’s this cute little internal combustion engine for it. That cracks me up, guys and their gasoline engines!

green pots

mammal — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 03:02:21 +0000

Today I trimmed and painted the little cups I threw yesterday. I have thirteen as of this moment, but in ceramics you don’t count them until they are delivered.
I lost a couple in trimming and I know I am not going to be happy with at least a couple of these trimmed and painted painted ones, then they have to survive in the dried-mud stage until they get bisque fired. I hope to get four matching out of this bunch.

beetles

mammal — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 02:27:07 +0000

Today when I went over there, Mom told me that the doctor said that Beto had a belly full of beetles.
“No, no,” he said, “not beetles!”
Winnie just talked on over him, like she’s getting more and more prone to do.
So I spent some time figuring it out, it was just acid stomache, but several times Winnie went on back to the beetles again, as if it were true. As if she believed it was true again.
What finally got through was that she THOUGHT he said beetles, but that wasn’t real. It would sure sound funny though, if you thought you heard it.
She had a plan of chugging a couple of Budweisers and taking a laxative, then you’d get rid of those beetles.
It was funny and sad and, well, it’s complicated. I don’t wasnt her to get all worked up about something she imagines is real, but it’s hard to keep her from thinking she heard right, or if she says it that makes it so, or she thought it was a true statement and then got stuck on that even in the face of Beto’s explanation of what he said, she couldn’t process it.
But it was a little funny ha ha, but a little sad, too.

Doctor visits for all

mammal — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 01:47:41 +0000

I’m glad we got Beto in to see the dentist, I don’t think he’s ever been, but it’s evident that he needs lots of work. When he first got out of the hospital the doctor told him that if he gains 7 pounds he needs to come back in right away, so off we went looking for scales. He’s all set up now, and taking fish oil pills morning and night, it will help him remember Winnie’s fish oil pills at the same time, the daily pill box isn’t big enough for four fish pills.

c’mon, christina, email me!

mammal — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 01:41:23 +0000

I am getting itchy to go shopping with my friend, Christina, for new clothes for Sammie’s wedding. She hasn’t answered my email requesting some of her time and expert fashion advice. We always find the bargains! And I am not afraid to look through the clearance racks of maternity clothes, because I have that old lady body that just fits nicely in some of those clothes. There are some cute things on those racks, you just have to look.
We always go to breakfast first and then walk it off in the malls.

Xtina

phoenix yesterday

mammal — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 19:12:04 +0000

I must be getting used to the trip, it didn’t wear me out so much yesterday as before. We (Paris, Mike and I) had lunch at Mellow Mushroom Pizzeria, it was delicious. I am going back again this week sometime to shop for clothes so I don’t look like a hobo at Sammie’s wedding. I was looking for a wedding gift and found this; look at this for life insurance, which is a really good idea for a young couple starting out. Nothing says “I love you” like added security.

Sammie

doctor for mom, everything looks good

mammal — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 18:51:30 +0000

I was worried that Mom had too many drugs, turns out I didn’t do any harm by cutting out one of the meds.
Her bllod pressure is fine, and I think she’s clearer thinking this week than last, so maybe we’re on the right track.
The doctor agreed that she probably doesn’t need both meds if we monitor her blood pressure closely.
So we will.

ajo high school

mammal — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 21:56:19 +0000

It’s great to see the high school students organizing flamingo campaign lawn signs to raise funds for field trips to colleges in Arizona.
Something like this takes some of the apprehension out of choosing college for them. Many of these kids have only been to the city on day trips, and have never seen a college campus. It can be daunting for city kids to make the change from high school to college, for rural kids, it’s hard to imagine that any of them make the leap.
So rock on, Ajo High!

Ajo economics

mammal — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 21:48:32 +0000

I have been putting personal experience to work learning sociology.
this teacher uses our own personal life to illustrate examples of sociology terms and theories. Here’s what I had to say about Ajo:
In my community there is no urban area, as I live in a very small town. The poverty I see here spans multiple generations and is rooted in the inability to move to another place because of tradition (American Indian Tribal lands, and Mexican extended familial ties spanning the border), and lack of educational opportunities among a large part of this population; these people will tell you that their people have always lived here and their ancestors are buried here, so they won’t move away to find work. Of course, that is all the more true now because there really isn’t much work anywhere else these days for the minimally educated.