us immigration, personal Show more
My citizenship exam's been scheduled; it's in a month š¬
us immigration, personal Show more
I pegged the fundraising goal on my ko-fi page (https://ko-fi.com/dowson) to the cost of my citizenship application, which was $725.00(!)
I've been in the US for fifteen years, and I'm married to a wonderful American lady.
If I become a citizen, I can engage in the political activism I've been held back from (I can't join organizations right now), and I won't have to worry about the specter of deportation either.
Recouping the fee would be a massive help. 
bigshoulders.city is a Mastodon instance for Chicagoans current, former, and future.1 Its name comes from Carl Sandburg, who once compared ships pulling out to āmastodons, arising from lethargic sleep.ā2
Our goal for bigshoulders.city is to build a community of friends and neighbors across the Windy City. Toot your pho place recommendations, meet-up ideas (like at the mastodon exhibit at the Field!), pothole gripes, creative dibs, and cross-town baseball tauntsāwhatever you want, as long it abides by our short and sweet content policy.
For now, membership in bigshoulders.city is subject to approval. if you donāt have an invite or referral, email our admin with a Toot-length intro.3
Membership is also free: hosting, administration, and domain registration are provided by our admin. Right now that runs about $100 a year, not counting labor. You can buy him a coffee if you like.
Boundless credit to our sister instances in Portland and Philadelphia for inspiration.
1. For the purpose of inclusivity, bigshoulders.city includes greater Chicagoland in its definition of "Chicago," though you personally should never do that. 2. From āDocks,ā in Chicago Poems, 1916. Rejected URLs included noketchup.dogs, woptheb.am, dibs.team, and malort.report. 3. No more than 500 characters.