// December 14th, 2009 // 3 Comments » // I Love LA.
Like a social anthropologist (or perhaps just a nosey person), when I learned of my Los Angeles UCF Alumni Club’s volunteer event with the Boys and Girls Club of Burbank I was eager to find out what goes on behind the scenes with those innocent little child-like faced people. I’m talking about the kids from the Boys and Girls Club of Burbank. Former child members of The Boys and Girls Club include Denzel Washington, Brad Pitt and President Clinton. I was hoping I’d get a preliminary peek at the next little Martin Sheen.
The official word was that we were to decorate the Boys and Girls Club of Burbank with Santas and other such festive holiday items then play games with the children. Not mind games, mind you, games like charades which involve no mind trickery of any sort.
Two cheery UCF girls both named Lauren, along with Andy and Tiki, a happily married “class of 2002” couple as well as myself made up the Los Angeles UCF Alumni Club volunteer team. We inconspicuously proceeded with the décor as planned. All was going well until an unforeseen unfortunate occurrence took place in the form of Christmas lights falling from their perch, landing heavily on one of the Laurens’ head. “Ow! That hurt a little bit!” she said in an understated manner as she touched her long shiny dark curls. Since she and I had both put the lights up, her pain was half my fault. “I’m so sorry!” I apologized profusely. Lauren of all people should not have experienced Christmas light injuries, seeing as she is Jewish. Fortunately, no Menorahs fell on anyone’s head.
During our word charade game with the youngsters, my turn came around and I pantomimed slicing and serving. “Pizza!!” Someone yelled. Clearly the children and even my fellow UCF college graduates living in Los Angeles were unable to distinguish apple pie from pizza even though I pantomimed biting into an apple, baking a pie crust and serving it in slices consumed with a fork. Maybe I suck at pantomiming American traditions although I am good at taking pity when Christianity bonks people on the head.
The star atop the Christmas tree was that I may have spotted the next Justin Timberlake. We Los Angeles UCF Alumni grownups rallied the kiddies for an impromptu talent show and a blue eyed, teeny-bopper kid I’ll call Steve performed a perfectly choreographed dance routine which included the moonwalk, a performance of his that with today’s technology he’s posted on Youtube, perhaps a tribute he’s not even aware he’s giving to the late Michael Jackson.
