Melissa McWilliams

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Update pt. II: After a few more months' working, exploration of self knowledge (soul searching, if you will), and talking with coworkers and a couple of friends, I've decided to trade security for freedom; in other words, I decided to quit working foodservice, retail, etc. and try my hand as a full-time freelancer. I figured that the 20-30 hours I spent making minimum wage, doing absolutely nothing of importance or value (which, frankly, was humiliating), could be infinitely better spent investing in my business. Being a "nobody" employee did have its advantages, though: I learned a lot about customer service, was able to bring in steady pay and build my savings, and also saw firsthand the very position in life I didn't want to end up in, under any circumstance. Even since I wrote the post above, I've gained a LOT of self respect, which I didn't possess before. I'm almost to the end of day one of no longer being on a payroll, and it feels good. I'll post another update within a few months.

Thank you so much!

If this is what you're getting at, then I am of the opinion that "age is just a number." However, it is generally safe to assume that a 30-y/o has more life experience than a 20-y/o; and in a circumstance such as this, that 10-year seniority seems like it can be exploited as a leverage for power and dominance by the bully (especially if his victim is weak to begin with). No a psychologist...just a lifelong victim (who refuses to be any longer) of this sort of social bullshit. (The woman I mentioned above who bullied me was 10 years older than I, interestingly enough.) Take it FWIW.

In my opinion, the last thing you should do is keep taunting and provoking this guy, because that's exactly what he wants; but it already seems too late-- as you've escalated this into a physical altercation. Even if you kick his ass the first time, what makes you think this will "end" things? Why wouldn't he come back to get you in any way he can? Beyond middle school (and even then), anyone who chooses to pick on another is outwardly showing their complete lack of testicular fortitude. They are taking time out of their day to put on a facade of toughness, cause problems, and attempt to bring out the worst in others-- in order to inspire confidence within themselves. Tell this to yourself, and move on.

"For some perspective I'm 20 and he is 30." What a fucking loser that guy is...to pick on someone a decade younger than himself. In my experience, bullies are like storms that blow themselves out. Over the course of their sorry-ass lives, their consciences deep down will bother them-- perhaps when they're older they'll spend the rest of their lives in deep, agonizing regret for their actions-- or if not, then eventually they will alienate themselves and die empty, hated and alone. I told this to myself every day I had to work with an ex-coworker of mine. She was a fat, 20-something, poorly-tattooed nobody who loved to try and bully me (the youngest one in the workplace). I just laughed at her every time she insulted me, hit me, etc, and moved on, but she was persistent. One particularly bad day of mine, she picked up on my frustration and took up the opportunity to really try and get me down. After some jabs (which I ignored), she said to me, "You're so fucking slow. And you mixed up this and that. Can't you do anything right? You look like this is your first job or something!" To which I responded: "It is... and you're working it too." One day she cracked a few remarks with the manager within earshot. She got a write-up. The next week she tried to attack another coworker, and, inevitably, she got her ass fired.

Still kickin'!

Update: You guys rock!! Thank you so much for your help and your encouraging words. Since I made this posting, I've gotten (and almost outgrown) my first "real" job; it's not much, just working away as a line cook at a slapdash BBQ joint for $225 in a good week-- but it's definitely something. I've also built and grown my own businesses, Riflemans Cadence (pro-liberty online merchandise store) and Wingspan Graphics (custom logos & graphics design). Again, all this sweat and all these long, sleepless nights bring in a grand total of $1.6-2k/mo, and that's not easy to live on...but it's getting me somewhere: it's paid off my car already (which will take off a big burden), and since I'm still living with my parents, all my income except gas, insurance and Dollar Tree supplies is going straight into my savings. I aim to get hired as a hostess at a nice restaurant (as it's illegal for me to waitress at a place that serves alcohol until I turn 18...don't get me started or so help me I'll go on another full bore anti-State rant) or, better yet, get hired by a local print shop, within this next couple months. I'll work that like a fiend until I can move out and transfer to an even better paying job, living on my two businesses and the $20k I aim to save up (I'm at $11k now) while I'm moving and between jobs. I'm also heading out of CA and into OR, where it's much less expensive to live. While I can't be 100% certain that I'm on the right track (and not being well supported by my parents from whom I will probably de-FOO, though that's another talk for another time), I'm confident, hopeful, happy and open to any advice anybody might wish to offer me. Thanks again, everyone!

I heard Joe Rogan promoting Squarespace too. Looked up & it seems pretty good. That said, as far as the logo creator goes, I highly recommend staying far, FAR away from premade or "clipart" logos (not because I'm paid to make the real deal )-- but because they're already being used elsewhere, by other companies; who knows how many. As a temporary solution, I'd say go for it-- but if you plan to use it as a permanent mark of your brand, it looks cheap and can cause problems down the road.

You're very welcome! I actually don't know how much Kim charges, since she happily accepted logo designs for her business and her son's website as payment for our project. I'd contact her for a quote and see what she can do for you. Thank you! Yep, I'm a graphics designer (and I love it); my specialty is custom logo design. iPage looks great; if somewhere down the road I end up wanting to switch from HostGator, I'll give these guys a try. You're very welcome! I'm a website newbie myself (hell, I don't even know what an IP address is, or exactly what ".com" is supposed to mean). I'm among the generation who has grown up perfectly accustomed to all this incredible technology; it must be a trip to see how far science has advanced in just a few years.

I recommend Wordpress all the way. It's an incredibly powerful and versatile platform; you won't believe how amazing it is. It does take a while to learn, and any website (I've found) requires a LOT of security measures against bored punks. For that reason, I highly recommend you contact Kim from CrunchyData-- she specializes in creating & mantaining great Wordpress sites, and is a friend of liberty, too. Kim has worked with me extensively on my website, and I love how it's turning out. Also, I highly recommend using HostGator for both domain purchasing and hosting. I'm currently paying them ~$12/yr for my domain name (and will pay an extra $10/yr for each additional domain I purchase), and only $9.99/mo for hosting with their "Baby" plan (the hosting will cover all domains you wish to add on). They have a free email service too, though it's a little dated and clunky. One last thing: before you jump in, I highly recommend you watch this YouTube video on how to make a wordpress site. It's slow to watch, but it's worth the time.

Agreed with the other guys. I make most of my living off graphics design, and the purpose of my site is to bring in high quality business. When I see ads on another designer's website, it tells me one of two things: I am not a successful designer and need to rely upon scraping up pennies from occasional ad leads to others' businesses. I am a successful designer but am willing to sacrifice my professional aesthetic image and my clients' tastes to rake in a tiny amount of extra money.

Stef's latest call-in show, "Estrogen Based Parasites #killallmen." Fantastic as always... time for another donation.

Another happy client!

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A real testimonial from a happy client. “When I came to Wingspan Graphics with my new company logo ideas they were able to get me exactly what I was looking for. What took two other companies months of failed attempts, Wingspan was able to create even better than I pictured within 2 days. Thank you for your prompt, excellent communication and outstanding service. I will definitely call again for my next project.” —Danny S. | Owner, Green Light Electric Sacramento, CA

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Custom Logo Design - Special Rates! Starting at Just $180 for FreedomainRadio Members Only! - No Surprise Fees - Custom Tailored Services - 100% Original Vector Artwork View Portfolio Online Contact us for a FREE, no-obligation quote! (916) 757-8025 PST PM me or email [email protected]

Hi all, I've had a friend for almost ten years now, to whom, for her privacy's sake, I'll simply refer as "K." Simply put, her life is and has always been a complete wreck... and she needs help. Now. She and her family came to America from Russia when she was 7 years old, having not taught her enough English even to speak with her classmates on a basic level. She became my friend—the only friend I’ve had, save for one other—when I was the only one to comfort her, welcome her and play little games with her until her English was developed enough for us to begin communicating with words. We enjoyed each other’s company very much. We had daily conversations and walks around the park at school recess. We sat next to each other in every class, drew pictures and made jokes. However, we never talked about anything much further than clothes, anime, and other nonsensical interests that very young girls have (except dating and even “crushes”—although the school wasn’t a religious one, to my knowledge that stuff simply wasn’t going on there even among the oldest students, fortunately). We’d talk every day until we graduated junior high in 2008 (it was a K-8 school). She went on to government college, bypassing high school. I went on to be home/un-schooled, until I lost interest and turned to working instead. We became very dissimilar—polar opposites, even—but we’ve still maintained a little bit of contact. It wasn’t until recently that I found out the following about her... Her family has not gone through one, but now two divorces since K was born. I know absolutely nothing about K’s biological father (I don’t even know if he is alive or dead). Her stepfather, however, is distant, verbally abusive, neglectful and quite possibly physically abusive as well—when he is not off working in Chicago or New York or Hong Kong. Her mother is also very neglectful, off visiting her friends and shopping pretty much all day long. As a result, K’s daily life is a boring, lonely drudgery of meandering through aimless college classes (including psychology) and playing online games in her spare time. And as a result of that, she has been on and off a cocktail of psych meds to treat her inevitable depression, inflicting her with a host of health problems, including chronic insomnia. When K was 12 years old, she met a boy on an online game. They have had a relationship since then; she’s 18 now, and he’s 19. In the six years they’ve been “together” (he lives all the way in Mexico, so she’s only seen him a couple of times), he has been verbally and emotionally abusive towards her, posting videos and pictures online of himself engaging in romantic activities with multitudes of other girls, and then lying about it. They have frequent fights over the phone (the topics of which I do not know), which end with K in tears. Now for the truly horrible part. Last time K spoke with me, she told me that her mother strongly disapproves of this boyfriend. K desperately wants to go to Mexico and see her boyfriend again, but her mother gave her the following ultimatum: if K wants to see him again, then she must marry him. To make matters worse, K truly feels that this boyfriend is the right “man” for her to marry, and is now planning on moving to Mexico with him. Yes, a horrible excuse of a mother who has been through at least two failed marriages, who abandons her child, is now essentially forcing this young woman to MARRY a boy whom she knows is an abusive asshole—just like K’s stepfather. I know that a true friend would pour her heart out to K and tell her straight up that she’s on a horrible path, that this boy can only spell trouble for her, that her parents are abusive and neglectful. I don’t know what I’m waiting for; she needs me to tell her this. Now. However, I’m worried that her defenses will only be raised—and I won’t be able to help her in time. Please help. Melissa

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