Random Acts of Goofy
This past Saturday we had a teen activity that involved a lot of church participation. Basically, 10 adults went to the mall in various states of disguise and the teens formed teams to find us and get our signatures. The teams were armed with our pictures so they knew who was playing and what we looked like.
Some players took it easy and just walked around, or sat, or even did a little shopping and didn't actively avoid getting caught.
Other, such as myself, dressed up a bit. Our pastor went to the men's section of a department store and got permission to pretend to be an employee. He straightened up the racks, folded shirts, and tried to look like he belonged.
I think the best dressed was one silver-haired lady who died her hair black and posed as a man. She was hard to spot.
I purchased some cheap supplies and created an absolutely awful fake beard. It didn't look too bad from a distance but up close it was painfully obvious - although when I was hiding in the TV section of Best Buy two teens (not from our church) stood within 4 feet of me, looked me in the eye, and didn't recognize me. Several times our own teens walked by without seeing me so I guess it wasn't that bad a beard.
I'm not sure if guys in general or more observant than women but I heard more men saying "that guy's wearing a fake beard" than women. Perhaps men are more likely to look strangers in the eye. Someone will have to do an official study of that.
The store clerks were completely amused if someone in our group happened to stop in and tell them why they were suddenly ducking behind display cases. One fellow started to say "Can I help..." then stopped. "Is that a fake beard?" So I explained the situation and he laughed.
The most awkward part of the evening came at the very end when I was waiting for my family in Sears. A couple lost their 2 year old son and were frantically calling his name. Here I am, dressed in black - including a black tie - wearing a fake beard, and there's a child missing. Fortunately, the boy was found in the sporting goods section so all ended well. However, not only did I continue to stand around for the duration of the search like a freak, I looked the part too, since after wearing my beard for 2 hours it was slowly coming apart.
Back at the church after the event I started to fray so I ditched the mustache and chin but kept the sideburns. The adults said I looked like Elvis while the teens said I looked like Wolverine. It just goes to show you what long sideburns mean to different people now.
Some players took it easy and just walked around, or sat, or even did a little shopping and didn't actively avoid getting caught.
Other, such as myself, dressed up a bit. Our pastor went to the men's section of a department store and got permission to pretend to be an employee. He straightened up the racks, folded shirts, and tried to look like he belonged.
I think the best dressed was one silver-haired lady who died her hair black and posed as a man. She was hard to spot.
I purchased some cheap supplies and created an absolutely awful fake beard. It didn't look too bad from a distance but up close it was painfully obvious - although when I was hiding in the TV section of Best Buy two teens (not from our church) stood within 4 feet of me, looked me in the eye, and didn't recognize me. Several times our own teens walked by without seeing me so I guess it wasn't that bad a beard.
I'm not sure if guys in general or more observant than women but I heard more men saying "that guy's wearing a fake beard" than women. Perhaps men are more likely to look strangers in the eye. Someone will have to do an official study of that.
The store clerks were completely amused if someone in our group happened to stop in and tell them why they were suddenly ducking behind display cases. One fellow started to say "Can I help..." then stopped. "Is that a fake beard?" So I explained the situation and he laughed.
The most awkward part of the evening came at the very end when I was waiting for my family in Sears. A couple lost their 2 year old son and were frantically calling his name. Here I am, dressed in black - including a black tie - wearing a fake beard, and there's a child missing. Fortunately, the boy was found in the sporting goods section so all ended well. However, not only did I continue to stand around for the duration of the search like a freak, I looked the part too, since after wearing my beard for 2 hours it was slowly coming apart.
Back at the church after the event I started to fray so I ditched the mustache and chin but kept the sideburns. The adults said I looked like Elvis while the teens said I looked like Wolverine. It just goes to show you what long sideburns mean to different people now.
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