A holiday flashback

This is the first of my two straight weeks off from school.   In the last post, I celebrated Christmas with a milestone; now comes post #201 and a flashback to Buddy Wayne's past.

He was a varsity high school basketball player at South Johnston High School in Four Oaks, and despite being only 5'9", he held his own as the starting point guard.  His elusiveness and speed on the court earned him the nickname "Waterbug."

Since his ascension to Heaven, he has picked up the game again as a member of the family-affiliated team.  Here he is in full uniform, including the shoes he normally doesn't wear.  (Don't worry: Jennifer gave B.W. special orthotics on top of the shoes so he can get used to the feel.)

The jersey is a modified version of the Memphis Grizzlies'; I painted the colors to convert ordinary "jorts" (the 2013 term for jean shorts) to regular basketball pants, and the shoes and socks come from, ironically, former college football punter Britt Barefoot.  I set the photograph itself at the John W. Pope Jr. Convocation Center at Campbell University in Buies Creek.  (You can read the facility's name if you look closely enough.)

With that, I wish all of you a happy new year!

 

Merry Christmas - and happy 200th post!

This is my 200th official post!  (I have made more, but I estimate that about 30 of them have been deleted.)

Here, Santa Claus (Popeye?) visits a part of the house facing a brick wall and near the fireplace (actually a furnace pot I took from a picture of a one-room schoolhouse).  At first, balancing Belinda and Bryson on his lap simultaneously appears to be a mean feat; then again, the kids think he is like a superhero, so they expect nothing more.

Santa and the wall come from files I retrieved at school.  The stockings are from the Party City website.  Santa's chair and the children's stools (which I pictured originally but later deleted) are from bar stool pictures from different web pages.

Back in business!

This week is a far cry from last.  Whereas last week I had nothing to show for my Photoshop work in imagining Barefoot family life, I have three pictures this time.

The first of these is the one I wanted to show last week.  It shows Bobby Ray (B.W.'s brother), his wife Jennifer, and their daughter Belinda as they would have looked prior to their move to the farm.  At the time, their home would be in Pineville, NC, a suburb between uptown Charlotte and the South Carolina border (and where James Polk, 11th president of the United States, was born in 1759).  As seen in the caption, the montage is set in their last day living in their comfortable, spacious home before they moved in with their distant relatives.  The home and truck came from files left for me by my teacher, Brady Poirier.  The license plate is a mockup of a North Carolina state license plate I found online; the motto "first in flight" came from the state's Kitty Hawk being the location of Orville and Wilbur Wright's pioneering airplane flight in 1903.  Barefoot Photography and Video is a self-contrived company with an interesting story.  The "owner" is one of B.W.'s aunts, Ola.  She started it in the pre-Rapture days as a young adult and ran it for a number of years.  However, thanks to a resurrection body, she now acts like a 12-year-old but still owns the business!

Up next, I go back to the "Handy Jam."  Here, I have assembled 11 people related to family patriarch Handy Barefoot.  Their names are in the caption; in case you can't read them, they are Lollie, Allene, Labell, Annie, Popeye, Ralph, and Noah Jr. on the top row; and Elma, Becky, Brookie, and Beth on the bottom row.  The picture is set on the afternoon of the event, during a break between the talent show and the start of the formal dinner party.  It was a case of fitting their heads onto bodies from a picture of unknown models left in the folder by fellow Photoshop teacher Shelley Richey, who teaches Photoshop at night twice a week.  Elma and Beth are two new characters; Elma is "played" by Arkansas real-estate agent Beverly Baldridge and for Beth, I brushed a new skin color from another photograph on top of the original picture.  (I have placed that picture, that of an unknown cowgirl, below the main montage.) "We be jammin'" comes from a line added to "Lean On Me" - originally recorded by Bill Withers - when the reggae group Club Nouveau re-recorded it in 1983 for its only hit.

The final picture is the first using a image I created in 3D.  Using such objects is easier in version CS6 and above than in previous versions, and here I turned an ordinary rectangle into an inner tube.  I then made a duplicate and placed "half-uncle" Bryson and "half-niece" Belinda in the family's pond on a beautiful summer day.  (Bryson and Belinda do not have any actual common parents; Bryson's mother married Belinda's grandfather after Bryson died the first time.  They would be uncle and niece if they did.)

Directions to Barefoot Family Farm

So if the Barefoot Family Farm existed, how would one get there?  Here are directions from the significant cities and areas in North Carolina:

From Triangle or Triad:

• I-40 east, exit 334 (right on NC Highway 96)
• Left on NC Highway 50
• Left on Godwin Lake Road
• Right on Barefoot Road

From Fayetteville:

• I-95 north to I-40 east, exit 334 (left on NC Highway 96)
• Follow directions as per Triangle/Triad

From Wilmington/eastern N.C.

• I-40 west, exit 341 (left on Harnett-Dunn Highway)
• Right on Johnston Highway
• Right on Eldredge Road
• Right on Barefoot Road

From Charlotte:

• Take NC 24/27 to fork in western Harnett County
• NC Highway 27 past Benson
• Left on NC Highway 50
• Left on Godwin Lake Road
• Left on Barefoot Road

Note: For those not familiar with the Tar Heel State or its geography, the Triangle consists of the cities of Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill; it is sometimes also called the Research Triangle due to its concentration of universities and graduate programs.  The Triad is made up of Greensboro, Winston-Salem, and High Point.

That was a waste of time!

You may have noticed that the last post I did just nine short hours ago is gone.  I don't delete posts lightly; in fact, except for a purge I did in 2012 for a more narrow focus, I have only eliminated some drafts that got posted accidentally.

This time, I did so because I felt I had to put up something, but had no reason to.  First, a brief look at the week past:

• In my Photoshop class, I composed a picture imagining B.W.'s brother Bobby Ray, his wife Jennifer, and their daughter Belinda leaving their comfortable suburban house in Pineville, NC for the family farm some 200 miles away.  I had planned to post it in the usual Friday/Saturday overnight slot, except for one thing: I forgot to create the JPEG version of the project and save it to my USB drive while I was at school!  Therefore, it sits in the "documents area" folder in the computer I use and I cannot access it again until Monday.
• I started a second project that took place at the "Handy Jam" with 11 people representing various branches of the family spun off from the patriarch (Handy Barefoot, Sr.) of seven generations ago.  But I was unable to finish it by the end of class on Friday; I plan to finish it once class resumes and bring it to you next week.

So what to do?  I then thought of the Long Branch Disciple Church.  Located just two blocks from where B.W. lives and owns his farm, it is affiliated with the Disciples of Christ, one of the religious sects popular in the American South.  This led to the idea of Ralph "buying" the church property and moving all the family's three services there, and maybe inviting other branches of the clan as well.  At 2:22 this morning (Pacific time), I posted the entry, based on four photographs, two of which were changed via Photoshop.

But soon as I went into bed and finally went to sleep, I realized something: I implied in this post in 2012 that all services are on the farm and that only the residents (and maybe a few guests from time to time) attend.  What I didn't write back then was that church is an all-day affair among the Barefoots, with a buffet meal (lunch/dinner) and additional fellowship between services, a traditional hallmark of Southern worship.  Therefore, using Long Branch regularly wouldn't make sense.

So here's what I say now: The only uses for Long Branch would be for special services on Christmas and Easter, or perhaps for historic "homecoming" events.  The latter is another sign of the Southern religious experience; it takes place once a year and consists of two or three days of worship, guest preachers, concerts, and sometimes other events.  The rest of the time, it could serve as a museum that people can visit and remember the religious culture of the South (I have been to the old Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta and the first Church of God in Christ sanctuary in Memphis, TN; both are used in this way).

As a reminder, an aerial view of Long Branch is on the left and a ground view is on the right.  Both are courtesy of Google Maps.

So how do I make up for it?  How about posting directions to my favorite fake family's farm?  (Please note the last part of that sentence, auctioneers!)  That's what I'll do next time.

BMN Superfan - Final episode of season 2

It's the final episode, which everyone has been pointing to.  Tim Miller takes his place at the side of the stage, while the other 10 eliminated contestants arrive for the final vote.  "Boy, how surprised am I to see them again," Adam Brister says.  "I thought maybe they'd use Skype or Google [Hangouts] or something."  "There are some people in this game I do not like, and now I'll have to try to win them over.  That will be hard," Kimberly "ButtaFly" Wimberly adds.

Shandi Finnessey explains how the vote will work: Each of the contestants has a touchpad with three buttons in front of them, corresponding to finalists Brister, Wimberly, and Deb Holmes.  Of those, they will select only one as the winner.  It is possible for a tie among two of the three finalists; if that occurs, there will be a revote among the two who are left.

Before the vote, each finalist makes a statement to the voters explaining why should win.  Adam's argument is that he has been the only one without a major conflict with anyone else in the game.  ButtaFly was next, as she responds to Bobbington's earlier claim that the only reason she even got on the show was for publicity in regards to a new solo career.  ButtaFly responds by telling a story she has not revealed all season:  Her former musical partner, Brightful Birdsong, is out on appeal after being convicted on federal drug-abuse charges.  "He was given a minimum sentence of nine years in federal prison.  He just wants to go to rehab to make it right, and he can't.  The bottom line is, I don't need the publicity.  I love the Barefoots and want to give back to them."  She ends the speech in tears.  Finally, Deb cites her ability to bounce back from an earlier elimination and some losses throughout the season to make it this far.  After that, each of them answered questions from the other contestants.  Bobbington forgave ButtaFly for the earlier comments, but Meredith complained that Adam had an unfair advantage during the season due to the nature of the prize.  Adam replied, "Go ahead and not vote for me if you want.  That's all I got to say about that."

At the end of deliberation, Brandon McLamb turns around to fellow judge Brian Warner and whispers, "If I had to decide the winner, I know exactly who I'd go with - Adam.  He's the only really strong player in the game, all season long."

The 11 contestants then saw a 10-minute videotaped summary of the season.  Based on the tape, and the earlier panel session, they then vote on their winner for season 2.

Before the announcement of the voting results, the producers and contestants donate $65,000 to the Bluebird Fund, Brenda Barefoot's charity to help the families of victims of sudden deaths and terminal issues cope with their lives.  This is based on the sales of some of the prize merchandise.

Shandi: "I've tallied the vote, and can now reveal who finished in third place with exactly zero votes.  That contestant is...ButtaFly."  She cries as she walks off the stage; in confessional, she says, "I did all I could, had all my fun, but worked hard and competed when I had to.  I dedicate this performance to Bird and to our enduring friendship and the hope that someday my Bird will be free."

Minutes later, Adam is revealed as the winner of season 2 of BMN Superfan, by a vote of 8 to 3.  In the celebration, Adam jokes, "It's great that I've won, but can't I just work there instead?"  In the final confessional, he says, "But seriously...this is the one place I wanted to be all along.  I think I can learn a lot about hunting, fishing, and just life from five very awesome people.  Lil' Bit, Cooter, Bear, Boo Boo, and of course the great lady Hambone...This will be an adventure I'll never forget and I can't wait to get started."  During the end of that comment, the door opens to Camp Paradise and Adam walks in to claim his prize.

A fun four pack

Good news: This week, my USB drive is with me, and therefore I can finally share the fake-out ad for What the Buck? that I promised two long weeks ago:

And that's not all.  Far from it.

During the week-long break at the end of November, I created a project with a fictional character and a real member of the original Mickey Mouse Club.  I then came back with another montage this week upon my return to school.

First, here's LaBloodrick "Bam Bam" Plumpkin, who made a cameo appearance earlier with his family (it's somewhere on the site, I just can't find it unfortunately at the moment).  Plumpkin is on a youth football team called the Boogers, named for the mythical half-big cat, half-dog character that is part of Southern mythology.  Here is a plaque that would have been presented to him upon making the team.  The uniform is the same as that of the Jacksonville Jaguars, except I changed the color using hue and saturation.  I changed the name plate to one from the Baltimore Ravens' home uniform.  The helmet comes from a file my teacher, Brady Poirier, left on his drive and which I copied, and the logo is that of the Carolina Panthers'.


Billie Jean Beanblossom, who has one of the coolest real names I've seen in show business, was a minor player on the first season of the original Mickey Mouse Club, which was 1955-1956.  She was born in Texas, but her family moved to California when she was four.  Ironically, Billie Matay (her new name upon marriage) later sued Disneyland for a parking-lot incident.  This is a "colorized" picture of Beanblossom based on the original publicity photo provided by Disney.

And now for the piece de resistance.  Every semester, Poirier has us change a daytime picture to a nighttime one and decorate it with Christmas lights.  This time, instead of using the photo he provided, I used the Barefoot family house and made it come alive for the holiday season.  Not only that, I made it into a "video capture" of a mythical TV special, Christmas Mania.  The "people" seen through the windows are a number of carolers in the Baltimore area that I converted into the McLamb Madrigals, a local group of young singers who entertain every year at this time.  They are Rebecca and Rachel on the top row, and LaRetta, LaRayne, and LaRae on the bottom.  My original idea was to have them outside the house, but the photo was taken from the waist up and I could find no way to blend into the photo from any part of the exterior.  Once I made the decision to put them inside, I erased some features and lowered the opacity.

BMN Superfan - episode 9, season 2

Shandi Finnessey tells the remaining contestants that they are just two episodes from winning the trip to Camp Paradise.  "This blows my mind.  A dream trip is within reach," Adam reacts.

The opening challenge is something very appropriate for what they are playing for - a road-kill taste test.  One at a time, contestants visit a booth, put on blindfolds, and are told to taste five different items.  Based on taste alone, they are to identify items like raccoon, squirrel, and venison (deer).  Adam expects to win the challenge, based on his love of hunting, but struggles instead.  Deb, on the other half, wins with four out of five guessed correctly; she wins a copy of Gone Barefoot: The Cookbook, now available in print and as a download.

Now it's time for the main challenge.  Contestants go to a corn maze and try to find statuettes with the faces of Hambone, Bear, Boo Boo, Cooter, and Little Jack.  Once found, they must complete the route through the maze - and get through all the dead ends - and place the items in their designated location at the starting line.  The first person to go through the maze with all objects placed correctly wins automatic passage into the final episode.  Just before the race starts, Shandi announces that Deb has won another reward: a 30-second head start.

As the race begins, it's apparent Deb is struggling despite the head start, and the others catch up quickly.  At one time, all four contestants are wedged into about the same spot, but miraculously, all of them find their way to different routes without hurting each other.  However, Tim later sprains his ankle on the muddy surface; the event is halted briefly so that medics can eject Tim from the maze.  The other three carry on, and a few minutes later, Adam wins the all-important competition and the first spot on the finale episode.

When they return to the hotel, Adam jokes that "maybe if Hambone's hot, I'll take her home with me."  He then gets dead serious: Adam had a recent engagement that was called off, and appreciates the new friends he has made in the competition.

The three other contestants face the panel one more time.  Brandon decides the panel should put more weight in what has happened throughout the season than in the particular challenge, and Brian Warner and Shandi agree.  Deb, they agree, has been the best of everyone else all season long and deserves a shot.  The other spot is close, between the flashy-but-friendly ButtaFly and the under-the-radar Tim.  Brian then emphasizes, "We don't yet know how the winner will be chosen.  If it comes down to the fans, ButtaFly probably has the advantage, but if it's a jury-style vote, Tim would have the slight edge.  It'll be a three-way vote, so it will be interesting either way."

A long time of deliberation follows, then the announcement.  Deb is the first revealed for the finale, then ButtaFly is the last to make the cut.  Tim is sent home, as Shandi emphasizes that it was not due to the bad ankle injury at the maze: "It was just a decision we had to make, very close."  At the end of the show, it's revealed that Tim and everyone else out of the game would vote, jury-style, for the winner of BMN Superfan.  The judges are excused for the season.

Gone 'til Movember

With my home subscription to Adobe Creative Cloud, one would think I would spend most of my five-day vacation from ABC Adult School doing more Photoshop projects.  Actually, I did, starting two projects; however, I ended up completing only one.

That is the project you see below, which supports awareness of cancers that mostly affect men.  Some years ago, someone conceived of Movember, in which men are asked to grow facial hair.  The three subjects here are Buddy Wayne, Bobby Ray, and their friend Rhett Jeffers.  I have never before introduced Jeffers; he would be a pro wrestling announcer for the Ultimate Wrestling Federation promotion I mentioned in chapter 3 and I have "called" NASCAR races for personal use by way of impersonating his voice (as well as those of the brothers).   It would be a deep voice typical of sports and news personalities, with influences like Vin Scully and Mike Joy.

As for the other, I planned to bring you a picture of Bryson and B.W. in the family pond.  The plan was for Bryson to "float" with the use of a life preserver I would create by taking an ordinary rectangle and turning it into a 3D object, while B.W. stayed close to shore.  Brady Poirier taught me this a few weeks ago.  But when I tried it myself, the 3D command I wanted to use was not activated.  All I can do at this point is seek support to find out why it was not turned on.  If I get that done, I'll complete the montage and show it to you later.

(Source of the title: the song "Gone 'til November," which was a hit for Wyclef Jean circa 2005.)

BMN Superfan - episode 8, season 2

With only five contestants left, the competition is getting intense.  "This may have started out as fun, but that fun has been taken out of it," summarizes Adam.  "We are all trying to win it now.  I especially want this because of my love for hunting and fishing, and that essentially is what happens at Camp Paradise."

For the next challenge, they return to the North Carolina State Fairgrounds for something essential to super-fandom: an autograph session.  The contestants pose as stars from the "movies" they made in the last challenge and try to gain the attention of potential fans in whatever way they can.  Adam picks up a guitar and sings about UFOs, Bobbington ditches the comedy-writer gimmick and goes all-out detective, ButtaFly rocks the look with dark sunglasses and a trenchcoat, Tim surrounds his booth with fake trees and butterflies while wearing a medieval knight's outfit, and Deb dresses as a bride - in the same wedding dress she wore when she married some 30 years earlier.  The judging criteria include total number of autographs, quality of displays, and fan comments.

Using their related characters, ButtaFly and Bobbington form an alliance to try to "steal" autographs from their opponents, calling themselves the "Soul Patrol."  "Yeah, like that's original," Adam complains.  Meanwhile, Adam wonders why UFOs aren't spotted anymore: "Maybe aliens think we're such a lost cause they don't want to help us."

The results are somewhat surprising: Despite the presence of the alliance, Adam actually picks up the most autographs and is safe, moving on to the semifinal episode.  ButtaFly and Bobbington then battle in the deliberation room, blaming each other for letting someone else win the challenge.  Meanwhile, Tim also gets a grilling, due to what judge Brandon McLamb calls "a design any third-grader could do.  But this is not third grade, it's a competition show."  Brandon adds, "We can easily go a lot of ways with [the elimination]."

Eventually, the decision is made to send home Bobbington Brandt.  "Not only did your clothes turn off a lot of the fans, all you did was argue against your opponents instead of defending your own place in the game," McLamb explains.  In confessional, the former linebacker admits that "looking back, this was not a good idea."

On a dismal day, Hambone and a letter cheer me up

To paraphrase a famous line from the classic movie Casablanca, of all the days to leave my USB drive inserted in a school computer as I leave school, it would be today.  After this, ABC Adult School (and for that matter, the entire school district) is closed until Dec. 2 because of Thanksgiving.  That's longest than most, if not all, other districts in my area.

When I realized what I did, I asked if at least the office would be open on Monday so I could retrieve the drive.  The answer, unfortunately, was no.  Nor could the district send it back to me by mail, which was my next idea.  I was even willing to give out my home address in front of a lot of mall shoppers, where I was at the time.  Oy!

As a result, I can't share any of my schoolwork from the week.  However, I uncovered something I did at home last week in the middle of the night, and it's the latest (and hopefully last) in the series starring my favorite double-entendre phrase, "blow me."  It all started with a single from Pink in 2012, "Blow Me (One Last Kiss)," a title that got me intrigued, even though it frankly shouldn't have.  It led to this, and this, and somewhere along the line, Hambone wearing a dress with the same image that was from my first link.

And now this: Hambone herself, while in a pink-colored see-through halter top, says the two-word phrase.  Although it seems to be an invitation to oral sex, those who read the small print carefully know that her intentions are far more innocent.  (For those who can't read it, it says "a big, wet kiss.")  It's certainly more cheerful that Pink's song was, which was about a bitter breakup.

Speaking of cheer, just minutes after I realized the USB was still at ABC, I came across a "mailbox" at the aforementioned mall, Lakewood Center.  That box is accepting letters addressed to active and retired military personnel.  For mine, I chose Bud Moore, a member of the NASCAR Hall of Fame as a team owner and engine builder.  Moore was part of the invasion force at Normandy on "D-Day," June 6, 1944.  By writing to Moore, I not only thanked him for his service, but also did something good to get my mind off my little crisis.  And believe me, it's tiny compared to what happened at Normandy and all the other battles Americans have fought at war, before and since.

BMN Superfan - episode 7, season 2

The show begins with a stunning development: there are seven contestants, not six, and Brandon McLamb comes out to address the contestants.  McLamb explains that, overnight, the judges reconsidered their decision to eliminate Deb.  "Deb should not be blamed for having Pam turn Deb's original idea into her own personal playground for her own destruction.  Therefore, we are letting her back in the game."  Deb walks back in and the reaction is surprise from all and happiness from most; as Meredith explains, "[Deb] is a burst of sunshine and this game is better with her in it."

But this leads to a dilemma: Since the main challenge is designed to be played by only six contestants, one has to be eliminated first.  How this happens is this: As the show was being taped, viewers went online and on Twitter to determine their favorite contestants, based on their bios and audition tapes.  Of the seven contestants left, it's announced that Deb has won the fan vote and that Meredith had the fewest.  Despite her protests, as backed by some of the other contestants, Meredith leaves the competition immediately.

The six who are left go to the main challenge, and the first individual contest of the season.  In the spirit of the Western-movie poster that graces Bryson's wall in the treehouse, they have to create a movie treatment based on their own lives.  What's more, they had to fit in one of six genres.  Deb was first and picked romance.  The rest picked in this random order:

• ButtaFly: Mystery ("so Bobbington wouldn't have it")
• Bobbington: Comedy
• Tim: Fantasy
• Adam: Science fiction
• Casey: Musical

Following selection, each contestant had 30 minutes to consult with Brandon and the guest judge, character actress Marianne Muellerleile, to refine their treatments.

The next day, a pitch meeting is held at the conference center.  Each contestant had only five minutes to explain why their concept should be selected.  It is then announced that the winning idea will be displayed on a poster similar to what Bryson has in his room, and which is also sold at the Barefoot family's retail stores.  Of course, the losing ideas will be up for elimination.

Deb and ButtaFly emerge as the leaders, showing poise and grace under the obvious pressures of the competition.  On the other hand, Bobbington seems flustered as he struggles with the consequences of ButtaFly's strategic decision.  Also in the bottom three are Adam, who asks to leave the room for a "timeout" which is granted, and Casey, who can't carry a tune as he tries to sing "Friends in Low Places."

At panel, Brandon acknowledges that the competition was close, but hands the victory of Deb: "Your combination of passion for the subject matter and ability to return to competitive mode at such a high level impressed all of us."  Deb's "movie" to be placed on the poster is ironically called "Butterfly Kisses," after the song by one-hit wonder Bob Carlisle.

Meanwhile, on the bottom, Adam was spared for his "nice recovery" (according to Muellerleile) after the brief pause, leaving Bobbington and Casey as the bottom two.  During panel, Brandon points out huge holes in each:

• Bobbington's cop-by-day, comedy-writer-at-night routine was "uninspired and sounded stupid"; he adds, "I know this is not the challenge you wanted, but you still should have owned it."  
• Casey's out-of-tune rendition of one of the greatest country music songs of all time was noted as supreme irony: "You're from Nashville and that's the best you can come up with?"  Casey joked, "Not everyone in Nashville can sing, so take it easy on me!"  "It doesn't matter.  It says musical, meaning you should have sang well this time!"  Brandon shoots back.

By the time panel is over, the decision is clear: Former NASCAR driver Casey Atwood is the latest to be sent home, leaving only five contestants.

Renewal of family photo and new video

It has been a year since I began working on the family's official photograph upon my return to ABC Adult School.  Although I am as proud of this achievement as anything else in my life, I was still dissatisfied with some parts of the montage.  So this week, at the start of the second quarter of classes, I did some work to improve the picture even more.  Some details:

• The left side of Hambone's face is very dark, due to the reflection in the right side of the face in the real-life picture of her avatar, Alyssa.  To compensate, I made a selection of the left side, added brightness on an adjustment layer, and used the spot healing brush tool to patch up the crack across the face that resulted.
• Bobby Ray's head was too big for his body, so I made selections of both the head and body separately, changed their proportions to make them more realistic, then went back to the layer of the original picture (laid over a new background of the house) and erased it.
• I relocated the seams and buttons on Brandy and B.W.'s shirts closer to the center.  They had been moved due to warping of the shirts during the original transformations to fit them as part of their bodies.
• The "glow" around Bryson's arms was taken care of with the clone stamp tool.  As I mentioned before, this was actually a high-contrast picture based on what I captured from a TV broadcast.
• Finally, although Bunky's arm around Brandy made for a charming - and human - touch, it just looked out of place in an official photograph.  Therefore, I erased his original left arm from the picture layer, duplicated the right arm side onto the other side, and straightened Brandy's head and neck.

The results are below:

For a look at the "before" picture, see this post.

In addition, I created a slide show of the family for the other class I take, Premiere Pro.  This is an afternoon class with teacher Nabawia "Nabby" el-Soudani Olivera.  (She's of Egyptian heritage, married to a Mexican.  That's America for you.:))  The music is to the Phillip Phillips hit song, "Home."

See it below:

BMN Superfan - episode 6, season 2

A unique challenge begins this episode: The eight remaining cast members are divided evenly and play four-handed games of bunco, a dice game preferred by many older members of the Barefoot household.  The winners of each game will have an advantage in the next team challenge.  Deb defeats Casey, Pam, and Bobbington in the first match, while Tim bests ButtaFly, Adam, and Meredith in the second.  The opponents then become teammates for the main challenge, with the bunco winners becoming team captains.

The task for them is to make a pitch for a TV show that would fit on the BMN schedule.  Deb's idea is "Fast Times," about a race-car driver who uses the DNA of various stars of the past to gain an advantage.  Casey is the driver, Pam his wife, Deb the driver's publicist, and Bobbington a security guard.  Tim has a show concept called "Hayride Rescue," in which struggling farms and ranches are turned around based on historic themes.  Tim is the mastermind, Adam and Meredith the curators, and ButtaFly the publicist.  The winning team gets a five-minute program on the BMN website and a one-hour special on the main network.

The pitches are heard not only by regular judges Brandon McLamb and Brian Warner, but also by BMN advisor Steve Beverly.  Both pitches are looked at with a very critical eye.  Deb's team was praised for having a "cool retro idea that somehow, in a strange way, fits well with this network" (McLamb) but Warner and McLamb debated about whether the show would use too much modern technology.  "It may be too much of a shock to the system for some viewers," Warner argues.  As for "Hayride Rescue," McLamb and Beverly love the idea of celebrating rural culture through renovation, but Warner is opposed, saying there are simply too many shows on TV like that one.  Beverly has the last word: "Once you have a winning idea, you want to spread it to as many places as possible."

Beverly must have been very persuasive, as "Hayride Rescue" wins.  Then Shandi Finnessey announces a surprise: the second double-elimination of the season, which will leave only six competitors.  When Pam is told that she is the biggest target in the house, she replies that "only you can vote me out, and I have faith that you won't because I have played a great game so far."  McLamb responds that "I just don't have that faith anymore, not after the big risk you took.  Looking back, 'Fast Times' is not what BMN wants; it's just too modern.  We always look to the future by reviving our past.  Maybe the past is there on this show, but it's pretty hard to see.  Pam is the first contestant sent home; seconds later, Deb is eliminated for endorsing the concept and "letting Pam walk all over her."

At the end of the show, celebrations go on inside the room, and a cloth doll representing Pam is buried in one of the garbage carts.

Here's what the family plot looks like!

UPDATE 10/25/2014: Changed function of picnic ground and open space.


This is one of the most important posts I have ever made, as this represents the "official" depiction of the rural family farm in which the Barefoot family lives.

It is based on an actual satellite image of 2118 Barefoot Road in Newton Grove, NC.  In real life, this is where a person named Ayden Barefoot lived in 1993, according to the Benson phone directory published by BellSouth (now AT&T) that year.  (The real, late Alfred "Buddy" Barefoot on which my main character's name is based is in the same directory.)  From that image, I "remodeled" it to make it truly their own.

Here is the Photoshop image that was the final result.  Each part is numbered and explained below:

1. Picnic ground and open space - Its main purpose is for relaxation and outdoor parties.  It was the site of the "Pink Party" for a few years before it moved to what is now the Barefoot Cemetery site.
2. Outhouse - It's the family's bathroom and home of the infamously-named butt.  As explained earlier, a "butt" in this context actually means a water barrel.
3. Barnyard - The Barefoots' animals are tended to here, and are prepared for food, clothing, and farmwork.
4. Residence - All 13 of them live here, of course.
5. Workshop - Here is where Harvey makes the handcrafted items.
6. Domestic room - It includes a kitchen, bath, and washroom.
7. Flower meadow - Annie designed it to beautify the road to the front entrance.  In reality it is on the corner of Barefoot and Calvary Roads.
8. Loblolly pine forest - This is a place of relaxation, especially in the summer when clan members need to escape the heat.
9. Farm plot - Domestic fruits and vegetables are grown here in rotation.
10. Orchard - Apples, plums, peaches, and other fresh fruits are picked here.
11. Mud pit - There are two very different functions here: child-like recreation and beauty treatments.
12. Oliver's Creek - This source of the family's drinking and cooking water was created from an irrigation ditch that Oliver Barefoot (B.W.'s great-great-uncle) made after nearby Mill Creek flooded.
13. Briar patch - This open field is used for everything from growing wild grains to hunting game animals.
14. Pond - It's where the fish bite and people go to have fun every summer.

For more on some of the specific functions on each of these features, please see this page I put up in the fall of 2012.

In the next photo montage, I incorporate that "artist's rendition" into a "print advertisement" for the Barefoot Family Farm.  I imagine it open for public tours and educational field trips.  The three mini-pictures show, from left to right, B.W. farming with traditional animals, Bobby Ray and Hambone in the barn, and Bryson picking apples.  (Remember that the website and phone number don't work, at least not for the fictitious Barefoot family!)

BMN Superfan - episode 5, season 2

Before the challenge airs, Bobbington recalls his stories playing college football and a shootout with robbers that he barely survives, and Deb receives a tennis racquet as a gag gift from producers, due to her facial resemblance to Billie Jean King.

This week's challenge takes place at the North Carolina State Fairgrounds in Raleigh, and it's a relay sack race.  Teams of four (the same as last week, except for Pam, who is sitting out) split up and hop down a 200-meter course.  They compete two at a time, with each pair going 100 meters each.  The first team across is immune for the week and wins a catered lunch back at the hotel, prepared by Brenda.  The losing team has everyone up for elimination.

Last week's winning team falls behind as ButtaFly forgets to secure her sack before beginning her segment, forcing that team to go back to the start.  Deb (pictured) and Casey's clear lead at the turn, however, is squandered by Adam and Meredith because Meredith stretches her left leg too close, causing their feet to come together too tightly.  However, Tim and Wayne do even worse, heading way off course; by the time they return, Adam and Meredith cross the line first and win safety and the meal for the quartet.

At the dinner, Brenda comes sit with them, and Adam, Meredith, Tim and Wayne share a memorable night of barbeque, homemade ice cream, and stories.  Adam also starts plotting to have Pam eliminated.

The next day, the cast comes together to hear the judgment in which, as threatened, Adam tries to sabotage by giving a laundry list of grievances against Pam, some real, others apparently contrived.  In the end, he admits the goal is to get rid of her from the competition as the most serious threat.  Brian Warner isn't convinced: "Now you wait to do this?  Especially since Pam can't be blamed for the loss, because she sat out the challenge."  Brandon McLamb concurs: "Maybe we should add Adam to those up for elimination, even though we're not supposed to do it."  Brandon then puts up Wayne as the compromise pick; the reason is that Wayne bumbled his way through his part of the relay race, not only by going off course but also by seeming to give up on the challenge once it occurred.  Wayne, of course, denies the tanking charge, but Brenda, the guest judge, says "I can read you and it's not good."  In a dramatic elimination, Wayne is sent home, to the shock of the rest of the cast.

My week in school: Two Photoshop projects and a slide show

My work this week features a family member playing around and another celebrating a holiday just past.

If you have read Harvey's biography, you know that the handcrafter is the best all-around athlete among the 13 residents of the Barefoot house.  This photo covers his entire athletic history.  "Before" simulates a 1960s - or earlier - high school yearbook page in which Harvey is depicted playing on his high school football team (top left) and as a wrestler (bottom left).  The wrestling picture shows him in the ready stance prior to a match in the North Carolina state high-school tournament.  Harvey, who attended Meadow High School, would have made the quarterfinals before losing.  (Meadow closed in 1969 when that school and some others consolidated into South Johnston High School, but an elementary school is on the site today.)  I turned the saturation on the photos down to zero so the color pictures would be converted to black-and-white.  The yellow tinge inside them comes from a file used by my instructor, Brady Poirier.  The body in the wrestling photo is that of a high-schooler in Pennsylvania.  The color photo on the right side of the page is him in a softball jersey, relaxing with a Louisville Slugger Z300 bat.  This is prior to a game with the family's team, which plays against other such teams in the area.

This next picture is a Halloween greeting card with a specially-carved pumpkin, Brenda the clown, and Bryson the cowboy.  As with earlier projects, I combined their faces with costumes sold at Party City stores and at Party City's website.  The pumpkin, two bats, and backdrop were also placed on school computer files by Poirier and were originally part of a class project.

Also of note, but not shown here (since I don't know if I can even put it on a page like this) is a 52-second slide show I did for my Premiere Pro class in the afternoon.  It shows all 13 members in an introductory fashion to the music of Phillip Phillips' hit song "Home."

BMN Superfan - episode 4, season 2

The double elimination the week before puts the entire house on notice that anything can happen.

Once again, it's time to pick new teams for the next challenge.  But this time, it's done in a different way: Each contestant shoots an arrow at a target 12 feet away in a grassy area just outside the hotel.  The challenge simulates a common activity at Camp Paradise, where the winner will eventually go.  The one closest to the bullseye gets to pick his or her team for the elimination task later.  Oh, and one more thing: The participants are blindfolded.  Nonetheless, Adam, who has a professional bowhunting contract, is the winner, at just four inches from the center.  His picks are Brooke, Casey, Deb, and Meredith; so the other team is ButtaFly, Jason, Wayne, Pam, and Tim.

The team challenge is to re-create the bonfire barbeque shown in the season opener of What the Buck?  Of course, they can't use an actual bonfire, instead they go to the kitchen and dining area at Campbell University in Buies Creek to serve 151 students.

Adam puts Brooke in charge of the menu and preparation, but Brooke makes a huge mistake by putting too many items on the menu and having more food than she can afford.  On the other hand, the leftovers team argue so long about the menu that its shopping time is barely more than half that of Adam's team.

More drama occurs during the subsequent preparation: Wayne suffers minor burns from an overheated pot and Brooke and Deb shout loudly at each other in a dispute about preparation times.  But somehow, it all comes together for the serving.

During the service, students taste samples of both the barbequed ribs from Adam's team in the red-colored plates and the beef brisket from the other team in the blue-colored plates.  After they eat, they vote by putting a slip of paper with the appropriate color in a ballot box.  The first to reach 76 votes wins the challenge.  The vote is back-and-forth for about the first 60 ballots, until the blue team pulls away late, winning the task and safety for ButtaFly, Jason, Wayne, Pam, and Tim.

The judgment at the hotel is the easiest of the season, and possibly ever.  Brooke had overstuffed the menu, was rude to her fellow contestants, and didn't seem to sell hard enough when it came time to gather the votes.  It was so bad that Brandon McLamb reveals that, even if the red team had won, Brooke would still have been subject to elimination.  When it comes time to defend herself, Brooke simply tells the panel, "Well, I can't.  I should have done better, and I'm sorry,  I'm sorry for myself and my lovely kids."  With that, Brooke is sent home; at the end of the show, she says that her consolation is that she can return home to her three children.

A 'movie star' and a clown in the family

This week's additions to my Photoshop collection feature B.W.'s mother and brother.

As I have implied earlier, Brenda loves circuses, carnivals, and everything having to do with them.  And one of the things she has always wanted to be is a clown.  Here, she poses for such a picture just outside the family home.  The suit I found at Party City's website among hundreds of available costumes for sale in time for Halloween, and that's the same place I found the clown nose and horn.  Hands and feet are from the usual sources - the Brittany Barefoot senior party picture on Facebook and the barefoot lady on the roadside in Pennsylvania.  I made separate layers for the facial makeup.

In my summary of season 2 of Gone Barefoot, I mentioned the mock-up movie poster representing Bryson's love of cowboy culture and Western entertainment, and here is what it looks like.  Some explanations for the various parts: Las Positas, from the title, means "little wildflowers" in Spanish and I took it from a name of a community college in Livermore, CA on the edge of the San Francisco Bay Area.  Bubba Brister and Marianne Muellerleile I wrote about before; Corey MacWillie was the lead singer of betaBOOZEbrain, written about here; and "Robin-Lynn McClean" came from a phone directory (she lived in Arlington, VA).  "Great stories live for generations" is derived from a slogan used in my city of residence, Lakewood, CA, and also represents a potential revival of the Western genre.  Bryson was also dressed up in a Party City costume, the horse came from the Discover America website, and the backdrop photo was taken in the ghost town of Bodie, CA.   "Blackie Films" is suggested by the new Barefoot Family Farm mascot unveiled on the current season of BMN Superfan.

BMN Superfan - episode 3, season 2

With 12 contestants remaining, producers decide to shake up the teams.  A random draw realigns them into four trios, as follows: Brooke, Adam, and Casey; Jason, Alecia, and Bobbington; ButtaFly, Deb, and Wayne; Pam, Meredith, and Tim.

The next challenge is a photo shoot, just as in season 1.  This time, however, each member of the trio is to wear camouflage and replicate the famous picture taken by Hambone, Ralph, and Harvey prior to the hunting trip that was shown on Gone Barefoot during its second season.  Local photographer Ken Tart returns to the show to take their photos.  They are judged on body positioning, ability to replicate the shot, and overall personality.  The best trio will each get $50 credits at the family's online store, while the worst trio is subject to elimination.

As he is a hunter and fisherman, Adam naturally relishes the camo look, and in fact "coaches" the rest of the team in how to handle the shoot.  Brooke says she appreciates that, and hopes it helps them win.  On the other hand, ButtaFly finds the idea unappealing: "I'm a city girl and it doesn't look good on me."  What everyone needs is patience: it takes Ken Tart over three hours, and some 20 pictures per team, in getting the pictures he wants.  (It doesn't help that Tart's equipment malfunctions during the shoot.)

During the judging, Brandon McLamb impersonates fashion-show judge Nigel Barker with an over-the-top British accent that makes everybody laugh.  He later announces that "Team ABC" - Adam, Brooke, and Casey - have won the challenge and the credits.  According to McLamb, Adam was the driving force behind the win by coordinating all the team efforts and making everyone look good.

Of course, there are some rocky moments.  Bobbington complains the camo doesn't fit him; a producer responds that this is the biggest size they have and there's nothing he can do about it.  Alecia blunders the shot completely, then confesses that she missed the original episode.  ("She should go home just for that alone," Deb whispers.)  And Wayne is so nervous he throws up.

At panel, the Jason/Alecia/Bobbington photo and the ButtaFly/Deb/Wayne photo are considered the two worst.  After some argument, ButtaFly, Deb, and Wayne are saved.  Then comes the biggest bombshell of the season yet: This is a double-elimination challenge!  "The math just doesn't look good," Alecia says in an understatement.

Before announcing the decision, Brandon details the problems: the heights aren't proportional, the camo wasn't worn correctly, and Bobbington complained too loudly.  With that, the former college football player and police officer is eliminated.  "I'll watch it back, realize what a jerk I was, and learn from it to live better from now on," he says in confessional.  Then Alecia is sent home, removing the last link to the sports world from the competition.  "From now on, I'm paying more attention to everything, because you never know how it will be used, somehow."

Pictures, pictures everywhere

Here is more of my work during the ongoing Photoshop class.

I begin with two views of pageant contestant Brandy Barefoot.  She is back this year in the Miss Idealia pageant in Stone Mountain, GA, and to promote her entry in the contest, the family has put out both an official program and a full-scale poster measuring 16 by 20 feet.  The respective photographs are below.  For this photo montage, I put ex-Miss Benson Amanda Barefoot's face on top of an unidentified model, and used the brush tool and reduced opacity to match the hair color around the nape of the model's neck to match Amanda's blonde hair.

The next photo is of a fall-time tradition in many places across the United States.  Corn mazes can be found on many farms as a way for them to get extra revenue and attract tourists.  Here I depict the three children of Popeye and Annie - Ralph, Harvey, and Hambone - preparing to take on the maze at the home of the Raynors, who are the parents of Brenda.  The shirt and hat designs are alternate symbols for the family, as suggested by Annie.

The last photo has nothing to do with my second-favorite family, but it's a great moment in my real one.  On Wednesday, my brother Tommy Hobson and his wife, the former Lisa Colon, gave birth to Havana Faye at Memorial Medical Center in Long Beach, CA.  She weighed seven pounds, eleven ounces and measured 21 inches in length.  Mother and daughter are doing fine, and Lisa is expected to be discharged from Memorial on Sunday.  (I apologize for the poor quality; it came from a seven-year-old cell phone.)

BMN Superfan - episode 2, season 2

The contestants settle into their hotel rooms for their first full night.  The missing spot where Doug was is noted.

Shandi Finnessey greets them with news of the next challenge.  It has to do with one of the essential survival skills of traditional farming: gathering and delivering water.  The challenge will take place at William B. Umstead State Park near Raleigh-Durham International Airport.  Three team members will travel to a designated area along the shoreline of Park Lake to gather one bucket of water each.  The other three will transport it among a half-mile trail, using a cart drawn by mules, the symbol of the local area where the Barefoots live.  The first team to completely fill the 10-liter butt, or water barrel, wins the challenge.  The losing team will see one member go home.  Since the red-dot team has one extra member, Alecia decides to sit out; she thinks she has a strained muscle in her lower back.

The teams encounter tough going.  The buckets have a large size and must be carried uphill, while the mule trail is downhill and full of ruts.  As a result, teams repeatedly see much of their water spilled to the ground and they have to make a dozen trips each through the course.  In addition, Brooke bruises her knee while running, leaving the red team shorthanded.  After nearly three hours, the red team - overcoming Brooke's injury - defeates the blue, with Wayne making the final delivery.   (After the challenge ends, doctors check out both Brooke and Alecia; both have only minor injuries and can continue in the season.)

For the second straight week, the original blue-dot team faces elimination.  This time, the chorus for Pam to depart the game is louder, but again, the judges decide to go in a different direction.  They call out Jason and Bellamy as the bottom two.  Bellamy is cited for not keeping up with the rest of the retrieval group, and Jason is singled out for dropping too much liquid on the return. Brandon McLamb also notes that Jason seemed not to care after the team lost: "I can't believe someone who was so brave in battle in the army would show such non-chalance - if that's a word - in a simple little game like this."  Jason replies, "That is not true.  I don't want to see the team lose.  It's just that I want to be optimistic at all times."  Before the announcement, Brandon says, "I know I'll piss a lot of [viewers] off.  It's either the war veteran or the beauty queen.  So what do I do?"  Brandon then whispers, "It's gonna be hard, but give her the news anyway."  Shandi announces Bellamy's departure, after which Brandon says,  "This was the hardest decision to eliminate that this show has ever had.  Someone had to go home, and you were just the worst player in this game today."  At that point, Bellamy weeps openly and is comforted by the rest of the losing team, and then later by everyone else and even judge Brian Warner.  "This [decision] will not defeat me," Bellamy says in the post-show confessional.  "I trust I have a long life ahead of me and will learn from this experience always."

The possibilities are endless...

It has been four weeks since I resumed Photoshop class at ABC Adult School, but I keep finding ways to put my characters in all sorts of situations.  Two more examples are below.

In the first, which I completed just minutes ago, I made Belinda's dollhouse.  I began by taking a picture of a dollhouse off the Internet which was already fully assembled and included a girl model.  Belinda's face is superimposed above the original model, with cloning done to remove extra hair in the original model (the faces are on equal levels).  Then I used another photo to select four dolls that Belinda would own - Priscilla Peterpotterpiper, Sarah Michelle MacSmelliefoote, Benjamin Jeremiah Boogerberger, and Anna Maria McBonniebreath.  (Sarah and Benjamin are the married couple on the bed and Priscilla is partially obscured.)  I like dollhouses, as it allows young people - especially women - to have fun while acting out their takes on life.  Unfortunately, the art of dolls has been lost due to the proliferation of video games, organized sports, and other modern activities.

The second is a barn scene starring Bobby Ray, the animal trainer, and "redneck woman" Hambone.  I made a clever depiction of B.R. petting a mule and Hambone with her hands in pockets.  Hope you enjoy it!

BMN Superfan - episode 1, season 2

BMN Superfan is back!  It "premiered" on Sunday night with a new cast of 14 contestants:

• Casey Atwood, 33, Nashville, TN - Elementary school teacher, former NASCAR driver
• Bobbington Brandt, 48, Tulare, CA - Police officer, former college football player
• Adam Brister, 29, Canton, GA - Retail store manager, hunter, musician
• Pam Driscoll, 38, Concord, NC - Charity director
• Deb Holmes, 52, Chesapeake, VA - Medical dispatcher
• Brooke Liptrap, 32, Baltimore - Stay-at-home mom
• Meredith MacBills, 28, Corvallis, OR - Teacher/folk singer
• Tim Miller, 39, Delaware, OH - Insurance broker/hobby farmer
• Alecia A. Moore, 24, New York City - Sportscaster
• Doug Scherer, 47, Bloomington, IN - Post-graduate college student
• Wayne Vandenlangenberg, 37, Green Bay, WI - Former contestant on The Biggest Loser
• Kimberly "ButtaFly" Wimberly, 26, Atlanta - "Vocalese" (spoken word poetry) artist
• Bellamy Wood, 19, West Plains, MO - College student, former Miss Teen Missouri USA
• Jason Youngblood, 30, New Bern, NC - U.S. Marine veteran (corporal), recipient of the Bronze Star

Shandi Finnessey returns as host, welcomes all the contestants and reminds them of the prizes - $50,000 cash and $50,000 in charitable contributions, as with last season.  However, part of the grand prize is different:  The winner won't spend a week on the Barefoot farm - "I can't believe I'm not going to the farm.  After all, isn't that what I came for?" responds Deb - but will instead will go to Camp Paradise, the house owned by four Barefoot brothers who are distantly related to members of "the 13" and featured on the new BMN series, What the Buck, starring Hambone.  The package includes four days of outdoor activities and survivalist training, and a post-visit performance from Hambone and the brothers, who have formed a rock band.  "I spent a lot of time at hunting lodges, so I definitively want this prize.  I want to go!" exclaims Adam.

The first challenge is a scavenger hunt at Five Counties Stadium in Zebulon, NC, home of the minor-league baseball team the Carolina Mudcats.  There, producers have hidden 14 envelopes throughout the stadium.  Some are underneath the stands, some in a party suite beyond the left-field fence, and one is even in the home team clubhouse.  Once all 14 contestants have found the envelopes, they open them to uncover paper placards with colored dots.  Half of them have red dots, and the other half have blue dots.  The colors determine the teams for the next challenge:

Red dots = Casey, Bobbington, Deb, Brooke, Alecia, Wayne, ButtaFly

Blue dots = Adam, Pam, Meredith, Tim, Doug, Bellamy, Jason

Next, elimination is on the line, as the new teams are asked to create a new mascot for the farm.  (Finnessey explains that mascots are traditionally used as tangible representations for various companies and concepts, and also appeal to children and their families.)  Team members are given specific assignments.  Three members from each team are concept and design, two others market the creation at the ballpark during a Mudcats home game, and two others report back on the game-day experience to the judges.

The red-dot team settles on the bear and name him Blackie, as it's supposed to be an Appalachian black bear.  Alecia explains why: "It can be cute and cuddly, or aggressive and strong, depending on the situation.  It's one of the most recognizable wild animals in the Western world.  Finally, the first syllable rhymes with Barefoot!"

The blue-dot team picks an owl, which they name Barney.  Adam explains: "The owl is the traditional guardian of the farm, especially at night when the people sleep.  Barn owls also have vision better than that of humans, which represents the farsighted ambitions and focus of the Barefoot Family Farm."

Alecia and Casey are chosen to represent the red team's idea at the Mudcats' game, while Doug and Meredith do the same for the blue team.  Each team sets up a booth to explain their concepts and try to gain support from the fans.  Whoever gets the most votes wins the challenge, and everyone on that team is safe for the week.  From the losers, someone goes home.

Postgame, the presentation begins with the judging panel: Brandon McLamb, Brian Warner (director of Gone Barefoot), and guest judge, Erin Perry, who is the director of stadium operations for the Mudcats.   Doing the presentations are Deb and ButtaFly for the red-dot team and Pam and Bellamy of the blue-dot team.  After Deb introduces, ButtaFly raps about the bear creation and what happened at the game.  Brandon calls the presentation "incredible and innovative" and says she can sell anything.  As for the design, Erin thinks that some of the features can be modified to make it more realistic, to which the other judges quickly agree.  Pam and Bellamy tell a "children's story" about the owl and reveal a comic book tied in to the mascot.  Brandon doesn't like this presentation as much, but says that pairing Barney with a possible comic book is a good idea for getting the children hooked on it.

But what of the ballpark vote that would decide the challenge?  Shandi reveals that, with 56 percent of the vote, Blackie has won.

Now comes time for the first elimination.  Both the promotion and presentation teams were equally blamed for the loss by the judges - the promoters for not making more of a design the judges thought was better, and the presentation team for a weak backstory and overdependence on the comic book.  Therefore, all four of them were sent to the bottom.  While some teammates wanted Pam sent home as the biggest threat in the game going forward, Doug's bland delivery was such that Brandon successfully lobbied the other judges to send him home.  "Oh, well, I've lost early and often, just like my Cubs," he sighs.

(As for the Mudcats home game, it was a 6-3 loss to the Winston-Salem Dash in the Carolina League.)