Hey Mitch, welcome back! Hang tight in there okay? I know life is kinda hard for you right now, but I am confident that you’ll pull through it. I am really hopeful that you get hired at Pixar. Only time will tell. Good luck. And great to have ya back.
The Star Swordsman - Thank you very much, dude! It’s great to talk to you again. 
Yep, I’ll definitely hang in there and do my best to help my family pull through this crisis. We’ll make it, eventually.
Thanks, again! I hope I get hired, too.
– Mitch
Welcome back, Mitch! Man, it’s been a while. It’s great to have you posting again. I understand that you’re under quite some pressure with a lot going on in your life, but I’m sure you’ll manage it and get through it fine.
Sorry to hear about your rat, Kirby. I feel your pain- call me sensitive, but I cried nearly a day- two days over the loss of my hamster that I didn’t get to hold easily in bare hands while she was alive, even though the people around me barely cared. But now, just think about it- now he’s in rat paradise, and once you see him again, I bet you can communicate with each other directly. 
Oh, and about you applying for a job at Pixar Animation Studios: Wow, that’s extraordinary news! I sure hope you get hired. It’d be an amazing oppurtunity. It’s so cool to hear that.
It surely is. Maybe we could see one of your films in the future, huh, gal? It’s all cool now now that you’re back. Glad to see you again and, I wouldn’t really worry about it if I was you. It’s apparent that many here likes you, and some of them might just be around the neighborhood and be available to aid you in any manner. Of course, not suggesting an advantage taking scheme, just reminding you that you have friends that are ready to help you.
Again, welcome back, Mitch, hope to see you again. 
~ WBoon
Nice to see you back on the boards again, Mitch.
I’m sorry to hear about the tough time your family is going through right now. But at least, whatever happens, you’ve all got each other, and that’s the most important thing. I hope things start taking a positive direction for you and your family soon.
The assignments thing sounds like a really good idea! I’m sure it will give you the motivation to create some more of that beautiful art of yours. The Academy of Art University looks wonderful, just what you need, and right in the middle of San Francisco! Perfect! Sounds like the perfect place to hone your skills and get some impressive qualifications. And as for applying for a job at Pixar Animation Studios, everyone starts somewhere, and it’d be a great way to get yourself known at Pixar.
Sorry to hear about Kirby. I hate it when pets pass away, it’s so difficult to deal with. But as bright dot-dasher said, at least now he’s in rat paradise! Bet he’s having a whale of a time.
bright dot-dasher - Thank you very much! And yep, I’ll get through it.
Oh no, I don’t think that it’s too sensitive at all – more like heartfelt, really. A pet becomes like your family member, so it’s only natural to miss any of them when they pass away. You’re right, though: I’m sure he’s having a blast. (heheh) Thanks for the sentiments.
Thanks! I hope that I acquire the job, as well.
WBoon - Ha-ha! Well, since I’d only be working as a Cafe Host/Cashier, I don’t think I’d have much of a chance of getting any screen credit, but it’s a start! 
Mmm. True, true. I’d heartily accept and appreciate any available assistance if it was given to me. My dad has connections with some of the studio’s personnel as well, so that’s advantageous.
Thank you very much!
lizardgirl - Thank you, dude!
You’re absolutely right. My family and I are very supportive of one another, so there’s no problem communication-wise.
Motivational, indeed. I’ll take any opportunity I can get to improve my artistic skills, and this art academy is exactly what I need, as is the Pixar job. If I can get into the system in one way or another, I should be set.
That’s perfectly all right. As you and bright dot-dasher have said, he’s probably having a heck of a grand time right now. He’s probably chewing everything in site, I imagine… (snigger)
Thanks, again!
– Mitch
Mitch - This is from the Ratatouille credits:
Some of those people may be Cafe Host/Cashiers. =)
qxgnxamy - Oh my gosh, I don’t think I ever noticed that before! And if I did, I’d forgotten about it.
Heh. Thanks for posting that up! Perhaps it’s not an impossiblity after all…
– Mitch
Haha, that’s amazing! Well, I’ll be looking out for your name in the end credits of the next few movies, Mitch!
lizardgirl - Ha-ha! Yeah, keep your eyes open! Like you see this post script note/list of names under the “Craft Services/Caterers” section:
“Larry - Head of pastry department; delivered excellent cranberry scones on Sundays.
Susan - Cafeteria supervisor; hosted an exceptional party bash at the end of production.
Mitch - Cafe Host; spilled coffee (decaf; hold the cream) on Mr. Lasseter’s khaki pants occasionally, but handled the mop with great dexterity.”
– Mitch
Hey Mitch,
I’m really glad you are back at Pixar Planet, and have taken the time to let us know how things are going in your life. Here’s to hoping that you and your family can get through this financial crisis, probably not helped (or it may be caused by) the problems of the US economy at the moment. But it’s good to know that both your parents have found jobs, and that will probably help things a lot more than if they weren’t able to find jobs. What sort of things to you do at your farmer’s market if you were to obtain that job again?
I hear ya on the self-motivation, thing… but if you take little steps towards completing your projects (even if they are self-assigned) and break them up into manageable tasks, it becomes easier to complete. Do you think you mum could talk to me to get me motivated any time soon? 
That Academy of Art University seems the perfect place for you to study, I really hope you get in. What time of the year do they take on students, and when do you think you might apply?
You applied for a job at Pixar? You have a lot of guts - I could never do that! Let us know if you get called for an interview. And you might even be able to receive an actual letter from them, in any case.
So sorry about Kirby… hugs Sometimes it’s so hard to lose a pet because they love us unconditionally (well, as long as we give them food, that is, eheh.) and never judge us. I’m sure Kirby had a fulfilling life and is happy that he got to have you as an owner. And if it makes you feel any better, a few years ago I cried when my goldfish died, but not 'cause it was dead, but because I killed it by neglecting to clean the tank.
Rachel - Thank you very much for the warm welcome, Rachel. You’re too kind. hugs
Yes, the current state of the economy (in the United States) at the moment is devastating and definitely has something to do with the financial crisis as a whole. People are losing their homes and everything. It’s pretty bad. That said, we’re working on pulling through this tight spot, and we will.
As far as the farmer’s market job is concerned, I’ll be selling cookies and other baked goods instead of lettuce, herbs, and mushrooms. That’s definitely up my alley, as I’m rather addicted to sweets. (heheh)
Good point. I do break my daily tasks (including art-related activities) up into small sections which, in turn, makes the job much easier. Still, I wish I had the urge to… push myself further on on the road to improvement.
Ha-ha. Well, if you’d like my mom to chat with you sometime I’m sure I could ask her to write you a little something via a private message.
Thank you! The Academy of Art University takes in students every spring and fall, I believe. I wanted to apply in 2009, but, considering the present circumstances, that doesn’t look like a possibility. I may have to wait a couple of years until I have the means to attend this (or any other) art school, and by then I may have a job at Pixar and won’t have to worry about it. If Cafe Hosts/Cashiers at Pixar are allowed to attend the Pixar University, then perhaps I could get my training there? We’ll see. Nothing is set in stone yet. I’d be grateful just to get into the studio, much less become educated on the job.
Ha! Yeah, I’m still kinda nervous after applying for that position at Pixar. I must be crazy. (snigger) In any case, I’ll definitely keep you guys updated. Oh, and I did get an e-mail from them stating that my application was received. It was just an automated letter, but I still kept it anyway.
Oh, it’s perfectly all right. He was a spoiled little rascal, so he had it good. He got nightly massages and everything.
Ha-ha. The goldfish… Seriously, though, I think that that’s sweet. A friend of mine accidentally killed her pond fish, too, and she felt horrible. Heck, I feel bad when I kill spiders. That’s so cute that you were sympathetic towards the fish. Heheh.
– Mitch
Good evening ladies and gentlemen,
“We’re tonight’s… entertainment!”
Or, more specifically, tonight is “Le Night de Explanation”.
Yes, I have been absent, as is beyond apparent. This is the evening, however, where I will briefly explain why I disappear from time to time, and how things are currently holding up.
Please read if you want to know why Mitch is a sore loser at exercising her Pixar Planet punctuality!!
January 13, 2008 -
First and foremost, when I make a promise, I keep that promise unless I have an extremely significant reason for doing so, or if some form of roadblock barricades my promise.
Secondly, I am generally a person of strict punctuality. If I’m not on time then I officially proclaim myself to be the queen of all who suck, so you can expect me to not only keep my promises, but arrive several minutes before the due date/time, as well.
Now… to the point! For those who want the short version, I shall explain the situation in a brief and constricted fashion. Voila´:
We lost our house.
“Woah! Back up, Mitch!” you say?
Well, why didn’t you tell me you wanted the long version?! Here you are:
There was a chain of banks in the United States that went by the name of Washington Mutual (WaMu) – a very popular branch in the country and one of the top banks in the nation, I believe. Our house, among thousands of others, was the property of this institution; unfortunately, the already suffering economy in the U.S. reached an all time high this year, in particular, and Washington Mutual went bankrupt, as did several other banks. It was soon bought out (or, bailed out, rather) by the government, and was subsequently sold to JPMorgan Chase, a financial service firm, for approximately $1.9 billion dollars. From what I’ve heard from my mom (who did a considerable amount of research on the matter), that service firm is now experiencing difficulties itself.
The dilemma at hand has swept nation-wide, and we’re certainly not the only family who faced (or is facing) this depressing situation. Thousands of other families have lost their homes over the past year or so; the (eviction) officer who confronted us last month, in fact, informed us that they were foreclosing on approximately 12-14 homes a day, or something around those numbers, and I’m guessing that that is/was just in our county.
My mom, in particular, was literally working her butt off in an attempt to save that house that she’d lived in for well over twenty years (I’d lived there since I was two or three – about seventeen years). The silly fact of the matter is that Washington Mutual will profit nothing from evicting families from their premises, as no one is looking to purchase a house during this financial crisis, and the banks won’t make any money off of it. As my mom explained to me, the banks (or, at least, Washington Mutual) are sucking every penny from people who owe them late fees. Consequently, those who simply can’t keep up to date on bills and payments end up losing their homes…
I suppose that you can think of this situation as something of a repeat of “The Great Depression”, only not as critical. Nevertheless, the results of the dilemma are detrimental, and the pain is being felt throughout America. All the banks (heck, all that the government and people in general) care about is money, obviously, and they were ready and willing to kick people out of their homes even around the Christmas season, which they did. We barely got in contact with anyone from Washington Mutual, as they didn’t want to deal with the situation at hand and refuse to confront the families they’re shelling out for fear of feeling pity and sympathy on their part, as I understand it. To them, we were just another number.
Our lawyers were trying to assist us in the matter, as were several other people, including relatives. However, even then, we’ve recently discovered who our true friends and family members are. It’s quite surprising.
If you’d like to read more about Washington Mutual’s situation, here’s a link to a page on Wikipedia detailing their adventures in financial crisis:
As it stands, my family and I (that’s five people overall, plus one rat that we recently acquired) now reside in a three-bedroom apartment that’s actually right down the road from our house. Until now, I didn’t even know that the place that we currently live in were apartment complexes! You’d think I’d know a thing or two after having lived in one area for almost twenty years. Heh.
Believe it or not, we’ve actually been faring very well, and I do mean pretty well. Despite the traumatic experience that we’ve gone through, all of us have quickly grown accustomed to the new living spaces; there are some pros to the situation. In addition, our old neighbors have been freakin’ generous. They’ve given us food, presents, everything. We didn’t ask for that at all! It’s incredible…
I fully blame God for the good fortune that we’ve encountered – these last couple of months would have been utter torture if we hadn’t had Him to guide us in the right direction and make the path of life clear for us. Example? On the day we went in to purchase a two-bedroom apartment (all of the three-bedroom ones were either taken or wouldn’t be available until later), someone called the apartment office so as they could cancel their “order” on a three-bedroom apartment. Consequently, we were able to claim the bedroom. I mean, heck! What are the chances of that?!
In any case, we’re doing well. We have other plans of how life is going to go for all of us in the (possibly) near future, but I won’t say anything about that until later. I’m also terribly sorry for not informing you guys of this situation earlier, but, as it was, I didn’t want anyone to worry, especially since we didn’t know what the heck was going to happen to us at the time. Now, of course, we’re doing fine; my dad has a steady job, my mom is doing fine, both of my sisters are going to school (and one of them plays video games constantly on her new PlayStation 2 console), and I’ve got a couple of healthy jobs and am ready to attend an art university very soon (within the next few years, if at all possible). (I’m going to the Vancouver Film School in Canada, if anyone is interested. Here’s le website: www.vfs.com.)
Oh, and, by the way, the reason why I wasn’t able to come on Pixar Planet after we moved from our house to an apartment is because our internet was down for a few weeks, due to the fact that we had to change servers. We weren’t able to set up the internet until recently, hence the hiatus, otherwise I would have been on here at least once a week as was promised.
There ya’ have it!
On a lighter note, I’ve found that my drawing skills have improved; at least, I feel as if they’ve improved. Needless to say, I’m not complaining in the least.
And no, I didn’t attain that position at Pixar that I was going for. No worries, though! I’m still just geeking out that I got a real e-mail from them. It’s just an automated letter, but still! I kept it in my e-mail archives. (snigger)
Position:
To explain: “Now go up, and look around!” - Gusteau
I will be blunt. I was not kidding when I stated that Ratatouille is, quite literally, a documentary of my life. Everything that happened to Remy in the film has happened, is happening, and will probably happen to me in some form or another. To some, this may seem rather unusual, if not ludicrous, but, personally, I find it to be remarkable. I am truly convinced that this film is not a coincidence. What it is, to me, is beautiful; utterly… beautiful. I’m not being cocky in any way; I’m simply astounded…
Right now, I am, like Remy, “in the depths of the sewer”. I’ve lost my home and, in a metaphoric sense, some of my friends, but God and my family continue to support me through it all.
– Mitch
Wow, Mitch. Firstly, I’m really, really sorry to hear about what’s been happening to you and your family (and other families) lately. It must’ve been a horrible experience, having to leave your own home like that. But thank good ness that you’ve got support from your family and that things at the moment are going well. It looks like you’ve got an incredible future to look forward to (the Vancouver Film School looks amazing, and just perfect for you!) and it looks like your skills are always improving. I hope things start going uphill for you from here on in.
lizardgirl - Yeah, it’s been rough, but we’re faring pretty well considering the unwelcome consequences. Thank you very much for the condolences (and for reading all of that mess – heheh)! hugs
– Mitch
Wow… that’s some pretty tough times you just pulled out of. Glad you shared with us what you were going through, I’ve been wondering what your cryptic messages here and on your DeviantArt account (which is awesome, by the way!) meant, and now we know.
Can’t imagine losing my home, and I count myself lucky for that. Yeah, times are pretty dire in the States and by extension, around the world. But nothing lasts forever, and that includes the bad stuff. Kinda reminds me of Harvey Dent’s quote:
“The night is darkest just before the dawn, and I promise you, the dawn is coming!”
Very relevant in these tough times.
I can see the parallels between your life and Remy’s. Hm… creepy much? Heheh. Hope your story turns out as happy as his though! Just “keep swimming”!
I’m so sorry that this whole experience has happened to you, Mitch! It’s always horrible to have to leave your home, the home in which you’ve spent so long and know so well. And as the situation begins to stabilize, both with you and the economy, I hope you can eventually get your home back.
On a lighter note, it’s very nice and good to hear that you’ve found a good replacement home for the time being. And having such neighbors like you have, I would be so thankful, too. But, you’ve got a job, and you’re planning on attending the Vancouver Film School! That’s just awesome, if I may say so.
And, I wholeheartedly agree with lizardgirl in the sense that, you really do have a great future ahead of you. Like one of my favorite quotes from my favorite movie states… “Your future hasn’t been written yet, no ones has. So make it a good one.” - Courtesy of Doc Brown from Back to the Future Part III. And I can just tell that your future will be something to look forward to.
As for your life relating to Remy’s… I sometimes feel the exact same way. Before I ever heard about Wall•E, Ratatouille was my favorite movie and I can just relate to Remy so well, you know? I mean, my life’s not exactly like it in every way, but some moments I just feel like I’m in Remy’s position.
I’m going to wrap this up because not everyone likes reading a huge textwall (I don’t mind them… as long as they aren’t spam… hehe), but I hope you’re doing fine and as for the Pixar turn-down, it’s alright. There’s plenty more opportunities out there, and who says you can’t retry later. You’ve been one of the greatest/nicest members here, and it’s very sad knowing that you’ve went through such times. But, everyday is a new day, and you’ve got plenty of them left, so I hope you end up going to that Film School, because you really deserve it.
God bless, or for you, may he continue to bless.
Gee, I’m really sorry about you losing your house, Mitch. I can’t say I’ve ever been through that experience, but I’d imagine it would be hard to forcibly have to leave the place that you call your home, and where you grew up. It would have held a lot of special memories, I bet. At least you got to all live together, or are living together for the moment. And it’s always a nice feeling when you are on the receiving end of other people’s generosity, especially during times of need.
So you definitely got an offer to attend Vancouver Film School then?
Oh my gosh, I am terribly sorry to hear that, Mitch. It made me feel like they were pure evil to kick you out of your home. 
I’ll pray for you.
However, I am very glad to hear that you’re doing fine, and of the incredible miracles that occured to your family. May God continue to bless you and your family. I very sincerely hope that good things will come to you to make up for this. I am very impressed that you can be strong about this- it is no wonder your name means “warrior”! Don’t give up hope!
I’m sorry to hear that you lost your house, Mitch, but I am also glad that you seem to have found some good fortune with the grace of God! May He continue to bless you and your family! I’ve seen some great stuff come out the Vancouver Film School so it’s a nice choice in schools! And sorry about the Pixar position. Just have to keep trying! No giving up!