So the ABQ job, which made an initial offer of around 20% less than the husband was making at his previous job, came back with another offer. A whole $2,000 more. So I guess we're not going to ABQ.

the US government apology to Native peoples was read aloud today

Liese! Was it really? That's fabulous.

A student, a graduate student, getting her master's degree, citing the History Channel as a citation in a paper

Pfffft. Amazing.

A whole $2,000 more

Well, that's ridiculous.

Yeah, at this point even if they offer a match you should turn it down. Anytime a place ends up hiring for more than they intended to pay their expectations become unreasonably high and usually you start out with enemies. So yeah ABQ is out even if they come up with yet another offer.

I don't think there will be another offer. I can't even believe it was worth anyone's time to raise it by $2,000, including theirs.

Dang Dana. I'm sorry. I hope the other places in the hopper work out.

That's, like, a dollar an hour. Weird. Hope something better comes along soon, Dana, and in a good location.

God, Dana, that's absurd. I'm sorry.

Liese! Was it really? That's fabulous.

We did it, Suela, since the government wouldn't. Mark Charles, a Navajo activist, organized the event. Native folks read the appropriations bill it was buried in, and then the apology was read in English, Ojibwe, and Navajo. (My buddy read the Navajo, and he got some really nice compliments from Elmer Yazzie, the artist who did part of the banner for the event.)

It went well. There were probably about a hundred people there. No major news and no politicians or officials. Native Net News was there. A few things were said that I squirmed at, but on the whole, it was a really good event, done really well. It was streamed, and they're going to edit the video and post. I'll be in all the footage, 'cause it was so windy I ended up holding the artwork up the entire time. So I didn't get video or photos myself.

Y'all did a good thing, Liese.

I'm so wiped out from it right now I'm not sure if I did or not! Apparently while I was there, a shitstorm erupted on our mission page...by another missionary, WTF? So I was kinda pissy that I stood outside for hours in the cold and wind holding a painting, and there he was making asshole statements on my fb page. No, you don't get to ruin 12 years of relationship building I've been doing, fucko.

And then the organizer called on the Native tribes to reject the apology, which honestly, I agree with, but I wish he'd indicated that was his intention before I endorsed it. I understand he was hoping for politician involvement, who probably wouldn't have shown up to be rejected, but they didn't show up anyway.

So I was a little fatigued by it all.

But I do think it was an important thing, and I don't know that anything will come of it in the big picture. In the small picture, I made a ton of Native work contacts. I'm pretty sure I introduced myself to every Native person there, heh! Not all the white people, though, which I probably should have done, but oh well, and plus I got anchored once I was holding the banner.

And overall the message was a really positive one, looking for reconciliation, adoption, relationship.