Awards - Tonys 2013 - Musicals - Matilda

MATILDA

Synopsis (From Wikipedia)

As a chorus of children boast "My mummy says I'm a miracle" the ballroom-dancing obsessed T.V. addict Mrs. Wormwood gives birth to a baby girl called Matilda Wormwood. Whilst the doctor professes Matilda the most beautiful child he has ever seen Mrs. Wormwood is more worried about a dancing-contest she has missed and Mr. Wormwood, a dodgy used-car salesman, dismisses the child as "an ugly little thing" (and also automatically assumes it is, and wishes it were, a boy) ("Miracle").

Five years later, Matilda lives an unhappy existence with Mr. and Mrs. Wormwood and her older, gormless brother Michael. At only five years old Matilda can already read and gets through several books a week. The Wormwoods are oblivious to Matilda's gift and frequently mock and verbally abuse her. Matilda, who believes that anything that's not right must be put right, realises that sometimes, to make things right, you have to be a little bit ("Naughty"); so adds some of her mother's hydrogen peroxide to her father's hair oil, leaving Mr. Wormwood with bright green hair.

At the local library Matilda, who frequently entertains the librarian, Mrs. Phelps, with exciting tales, begins to tell Mrs. Phelps a new story about an extraordinary Acrobat and Escapologist; internationally famous they are beloved by all and wow crowds with their daring performances. The Acrobat and Escapologist long to have a child but have been unable to conceive. To distract themselves from their sadness the pair announce to the world press that they will be performing an exciting and dangerous new act: "The Burning Woman Hurling Through The Air, With Dynamite In Her Hair, Over Sharks and Spiky Objects Caught By The Man Locked In The Cage".

The next day is Matilda's first day at school. As her classmates arrive with the usual nervousness of a child going to school for the first time, the older children do nothing to dispel their fears, instead warning them that even putting in effort there, is a waste of energy ("School Song"). Her teacher, Miss Honey, is immediately impressed by Matilda's precociousness and ability, so she resolves to recommend that Matilda is moved to the top class with the older children ("Pathetic"). However, the headmistress, Miss Trunchbull (a cruel and sadistic disciplinarian and former hammer-throwing world champion, who firmly believes in the school motto: "Bambinatum est Maggitum"—Children Are Maggots), dismisses Miss Honey's suggestion and lectures her on the importance of adhering strictly to "The Rules" ("The Hammer").

Back at the Wormwood household, Mr. Wormwood is frustrated that a group of wealthy Russians didn't fall for his lies about a number of worn-down old cars he had been trying to sell them at exorbitant prices. He takes his frustration out on Matilda and destroys one of her library books; prompting her to put superglue around the rim of his hat. ("Naughty" Reprise).

At school, Matilda learns of Miss Trunchbull's cruel punishments, including Chokey, a tiny, dank cupboard with broken glass and nails in the walls and floor that she locks naughty children in for hours on end ("The Chokey Chant"). Matilda soon witnesses Trunchbull's wickedness firsthand when the furious headmistress spins a small girl around by her pigtails and throws her across the playing field.

Meanwhile, Miss Honey decides to pay the Wormwoods a visit to express her recommendation that Matilda be put in an advanced class. She meets Mrs. Wormwood and her faux-Italian ballroom-dance partner Rudolpho. It soon becomes apparent to Miss Honey that Mrs. Wormwood couldn't care less about her daughter's advanced intelligence and Mrs. Wormwood mocks Miss Honey's interest in books and intellect over television and make-up ("Loud"). Alone outside the Wormwood household, Miss Honey is desperate to help Matilda ("This Little Girl").

Matilda tells Mrs. Phelps more about the Acrobat and the Escapologist. The performance of their new feat has been arranged by the Acrobat's sister, a former world champion hammer-thrower who loves to scare small children. Just before their act begins the Escapologist announces that the performance will be cancelled as the Acrobat is pregnant. The crowd is thrilled, but the Acrobat's sister is furious at the prospect of refunding the crowd's money and produces a contract that the Acrobat and Escapologist have signed binding them to performing the act or else spending the rest of their lives in jail.

At school, Bruce Bogtrotter, a boy in Matilda's class, has stolen a slice of Miss Trunchbull's personal chocolate cake. When she discovers this, she decides to punish Bruce by forcing him to eat an entire cake all by himself in front of the class, who bravely support him ("Bruce"). After Bruce has finished the cake, the class celebrates his success but Miss Trunchbull drags Bruce away for the second part of his punishment: Chokey. (End of Act 1)

At the end of the interval, Mr. Wormwood appears with a disclaimer, apologising for the show's rampant support for reading and warns children that if they do read they will go blind, become smelly and get verrucas (of the soul). He then introduces what he considers to be "the pinnacle of man's success and the reason we evolved out of unicorns in the first place": television ("Telly"), after which Lavender, a girl in Matilda's class, confides in the audience that, in a bit "coming up", after being given the job of preparing Miss Trunchbull's jug of water, she finds a newt and puts it in the jug.

After the 'Entr'acte' the children sing about how they imagine adulthood is like, Miss Honey laments and Matilda resolves to put an end to Miss Trunchbull's cruelty ("When I Grow Up").

Matilda tells Mrs. Phelps more about the Acrobat and the Escapologist. Bound to their contract they perform the feat and all seems to go well until the last moment when the Acrobat slips and falls to the ground breaking every bone in her body (except the ones at the ends of her little fingers); she lives just long enough to give birth to a beautiful baby girl. The Acrobat's sister soon moves into the house with the Escapologist and his daughter. She is incredibly cruel to the little girl, forcing her to do menial tasks and frequently abusing her verbally and physically, but the Escapologist is too saddened by his wife's death to notice.

Mr. Wormwood returns home from work delighted that he has been able to sell the worn-down cars to the wealthy Russians after all, having hit on a plan to use an automatic drill to wind back the odometers on the cars, seemingly reducing the mileage. Matilda is annoyed at her father's flagrant deceit and tells him off for it. This angers Mr. Wormwood and he verbally abuses Matilda before locking her in her bedroom. That night Matilda continues the story of the Acrobat and the Escapologist on her own. After years of cruelty the Acrobat's sister's fits of rage have grown to the point where, one night, she beats the Escapologist's daughter, tells her she is a "useless, filthy, nasty little creep" and locks her in the basement and goes out. However that evening the Escapologist returns home early and hears his daughter crying in the basement. He breaks down the door and discovers the extent of the Acrobat's sister's cruelty. As he comforts his daughter he promises her he will always be there for her from now on, as his wife had made him promise on her deathbed. Filled with a sudden rage, he runs out into the night to find the Acrobat's sister, but is never seen again ("I'm Here").

The next day, Miss Trunchbull forces Miss Honey's class to participate in a grueling physical education lesson ("The Smell of Rebellion"). When she goes to drink from her water jug, she discovers the newt inside and immediately accuses the first child she lays eyes on. Matilda stands up and tells Miss Trunchbull off for being a bully. Trunchbull launches into a tirade of abuse against Matilda, but Matilda retreats in her mind to a place where everything is 'quiet' and discovers she has the ability to move objects with her mind ("Quiet"). With her newfound ability, she tips over the Trunchbull's water jug, soaking her in water, with the newt ending up in her knickers. Afterwards, Matilda demonstrates her powers to Miss Honey. Taken aback, Miss Honey invites Matilda back to her house for a cup of tea. On the way there Matilda finally admits that her father is not proud of her and calls her names (having previously failed to correct Mrs Phelps's assumptions of how proud her parents must be).

Miss Honey's house turns out to be nothing more than an old farm shed. Matilda discovers that Miss Honey has been forced to live in abject poverty by her cruel and abusive aunt, who looked after her as a child after her parents died. When Miss Honey first got her job as a teacher, the aunt produced a bill of every meal and drink Miss Honey had ever had as a child, as well as any other conceivable expense, and forced Miss Honey to sign a contract binding her to pay it all back. Despite all this, Miss Honey manages to find a simple beauty in her meagre living conditions. As Miss Honey tells her story, Matilda soon realises that the story of the Acrobat and the Escapologist is the story of Miss Honey's childhood, and that the wicked aunt is Miss Trunchbull, who murdered the Escapologist, Miss Honey's father ("My House").

Back at school Miss Trunchbull forces the children to participate in a spelling test; anyone who fails to spell a word correctly will be sent to Chokey. As she discovers the children have been taught well by Miss Honey, and fail to misspell a single word, Miss Trunchbull invents a word to force the children into Chokey. As the victim of being given this word to spell fails and is about to be taken to Chokey, her classmates one by one deliberately misspell simple words, declaring "I spelt it wrong miss, you'll have to put me in Chokey too" and "You can't put us all in Chokey". But Miss Trunchbull replies that she can - she has built many, many more Chokeys. At this moment Matilda uses her powers to make a piece of chalk write on the blackboard and make Miss Trunchbull believe that it is the ghost of Miss Honey's father demanding that the Trunchbull give his daughter back her house or he'd get her "like she got him" and then leave. This causes the Trunchbull to run from the school screaming, and the children celebrate their new-found anarchic freedom ("Revolting Children").

At the library, Miss Honey and Mrs. Phelps tell of the aftermath of the events; a few days after the Trunchbull had run away, Miss Honey received a letter from a solicitor saying that her father's will had mysteriously been found and all his money and his house were left to her. Miss Trunchbull was never seen by anyone ever again, and Miss Honey became the new headmistress of the school. They tell how Matilda was never again able to use her powers - Matilda says she doesn't need to, but Miss Honey would be angered that the girl who'd done so much to help her and others was still stuck with such a cruel family. Mrs Phelps says that's the end and that stories don't always have happy endings. At that moment the Wormwoods arrive at the library in a panic telling Matilda that she has to leave with them now, as they are running away to Spain. It transpires that the wealthy Russians Mr. Wormwood was dealing with were in fact the Russian Mafia, who are not at all happy about being sold broken cars. Miss Honey asks if Matilda can stay with her, but before a decision can be made, the Mafia arrive. Sergei, the head of the Mafia, is impressed and moved by Matilda's intellect and respect, and he agrees to not harm the Wormwoods (as long as he never has to deal with Mr Wormwood again when doing business) ("This Little Girl" Reprise).

A grateful Mr. Wormwood thanks Matilda and agrees to let her live in happiness with Miss Honey.

Awards - Tonys 2013 - Musicals - A Christmas Story

A CHRISTMAS STORY

Synopsis:

(From IMDb – composite synopsis of movie by several contributors)

Ralphie Parker is a nine year-old boy living in the small down of Hohman, Indiana in the late 1940's. As he, a few friends, and his younger brother Randy look into the display window of a local store, Ralphie has his eyes set on the only item he wants for Christmas; an Official Red Ryder Carbine-Action Two-Hundred-Shot Range Model Air Rifle, with a compass in the stock and "this thing which tells time" (a sundial).

Knowing full well that he could never request this item openly to his parents, Ralphie sneaks advertisements for the gun into his parents' magazines the next morning. He then accidentally lets slip his desire to his mother who immediately rejects the idea with the dreaded phrase: "you'll shoot your eye out."

Disappointed, Ralphie enjoys a reverie about how he alone, armed with his gun, stands between his family and a gang of stripe-shirted ruffians in a Western-style standoff. Meanwhile his grouchy father is forced to battle the temperamental house furnace in the basement amid a slur of inaudible curses.

While walking through the frozen, snow-covered neighborhood on his way to school, Ralphie meets up his two friends, Flick and Schwartz, while Randy lags behind. Before class, Flick and Schwartz argue over what would happen should someone stick their tongue to a frozen flag pole, engaging in a delicate nuance of phrase during which Schwartz dares Flick to stick his tongue to the pole. Upon the dreaded triple-dog-dare, Flick puts his tongue to the pole to find it stuck tight. He starts screaming but the others run into school as the bell rings. Their teacher, Miss Shields, notices Flick's absence and, when she sees him outside, calls the fire department and local police and tries to comfort Flick. As the students watch with excitement, Ralphie feels a pang of guilt. Still, when Flick is escorted to his desk, a bandage around his tongue, and Miss Shields gives a brief speech on how whoever put Flick up to sticking his tongue to the pole should atone for their misdeed. But Ralphie explains that kids know better not to get caught. Miss Shields then gives them an assignment; to write a theme about what they want for Christmas. Ralphie sees this as an opportunity to write about the Red Ryder gun, hoping that his teacher will sympathize with him and secure a little reprieve with her authority as an adult.

The doorbell rings at dinner and everyone immediately stops. They run to the door where Mr. Parker allows the delivery men to wheel in a large box and opens it with fervor to reveal a lamp that's designed to look like a woman's leg, complete with stocking, high heel shoe, and a shade that looks like a skirt. While Mr. Parker gushes over it, Ralphie's mother is clearly uncomfortable, especially when her husband tells her to display it in the front window for the entire neighborhood to see. Only one thing draws Ralphie and his brother away from the glow of electric sex gleaming in the window, and thats their favorite radio program; Little Orphan Annie.

At home, his mother puts a bar of soap in his mouth for swearing, one that he dislikes in taste above all others he's had the opportunity to sample. His mother asks where hes heard that word and, although Ralphie admits to us that his old man used the word as fluently as an artist would use paint, he chickens out and blurts out his friend Schwartz's name. When Mrs. Parker calls Schwartz's mother and tells her, we hear her screaming maniacally and giving Schwartz a sound beating.

At school, Ralphie is handed his theme back from Miss Shields. He looks in horror at the large C+ stamped across the top with the phrase "youll shoot your eye out". He imagines his teacher clad in a witch's outfit, laughing at him next to his harlequin mother who must have surely gotten to her. Ralphie spends the rest of the day in class feeling depressed and hopeless that he'll never get the Ryder BB gun.

On the way home, Ralphie walks alone and is suddenly hit in the face with a snowball. He takes his glasses off and sees Scut Farkus and Grover Dill approach him. Ralphie tears up until Scut starts to mock him and laugh, something that causes Ralphie, in all his disappointment and anguish, to snap and charge angrily at Scut, tackling him to the ground and beating him. Grover runs off as the neighborhood kids cheer Ralphie on. Randy picks up his discarded glasses and goes to get their mother who arrives just as Ralphie is finishing a rant of slurred curses. She gets Ralphie off of Scut and helps him walk home. Scut is left to pick himself up with a bloodied nose. The cowardly Scut runs off, yelling to Ralphie that he'll tell his father about beating him up.

Suddenly, the furnace blows black smoke into the kitchen again and the Old Man rushes down to do battle. Mrs. Parker appears complacent as she strolls into the living room with a watering can before a loud crash is heard. Ralphie watches as his father rushes up the stairs and finds his wife holding his broken lamp. She admits it was an accident before shouting, after Mr. Parker claims she was jealous that he won it, that it was the ugliest lamp she's ever seen. Mr. Parker attempts to fix the lamp but it quickly falls apart, much to his wife's amusement. He musters all the dignity he can as he takes the remains to the back yard and buries them. Before going to sleep, Ralphie decides that if no one else will help him in his quest to obtain the Red Ryder gun, he should ask Santa.

Ralphie is escorted by an irritable helper elf (Patty Johnson) to sit on Santa's lap. His perspective, as he's swung around, shows clearly why most kids are afraid of Santa. In shock himself by Santa's intimindating face, Ralphie is unable to tell Santa exactly what he wants. Santa suggests a football to which Ralphie numbly agrees. He comes to his senses just as he's about to go down the slide and stops himself, struggling back to the top where he blurts out what he really wants. He gives his best smile, but Santa merely repeats what Ralphie fears, "you'll shoot your eye out, kid" before putting his boot to Ralphie's forehead and pushing him down the slide. Ralphie's parents collect him and Randy at the bottom and take them home where they decorate the tree (a task that results in blowing a dangerously packed outlet).

The next morning, Ralphie wakes up to see that fresh snow has fallen overnight and goes downstairs eagerly with his brother, who claims that everything in sight is his. Their parents follow suit and presents are unwrapped with frantic excitement (except for socks). When all is said and done, Randy lies sleeping amid the wrappings with his toy zeppelin as Ralphie sits on the couch with his parents. His father asks if he got everything he wanted that year before pointing out a mysterious package behind the desk. Ralphie goes to unwrap it and finds what he thought he'd never get; the Red Ryder BB gun. His father chuckles as he fills it with BB pellets and asks to try it out. Mr. Parker explains to his wife that he had one when he was eight years old, though she still worries Ralphie will hurt himself.

Ralphie takes aim, fires, and falls back; the pellet having bounced off the target and hitting him on the cheek, knocking his glasses off. Fearful for a second that he actually did shoot his eye out, the half-blind Ralphie collects himself and looks for his glasses but accidentally steps on them, breaking them. Despondent, he tries to think of a way to explain the accident to his mother and decides that an icicle falling off the garage would have to work. He fakes some tears and goes to his mother. She takes him to the bathroom upstairs to wash his face off (though Ralphie is ecstatic that his plan worked) and gives him an old pair of glasses to use.

That night, Ralphie sleeps with his Red Ryder held close, the best Christmas gift he ever received, dreaming of hunting ducks and making spectacular shots.

Awards - Tonys 2013 - Musicals - Bring It On

BRING IT ON

Synopsis:  (From Wikipedia)

Torrance Shipman anxiously dreams about her first day of senior year. Her boyfriend, Aaron, has left for college, and her cheerleading squad, the Toros, is aiming for a sixth consecutive national title. Team captain, "Big Red", is graduating and Torrance is elected to take her place. Shortly after her election, however, a team member is injured and can no longer compete. Torrance replaces her with Missy Pantone, a gymnast who recently transferred to the school with her brother, Cliff. Torrance and Cliff develop a flirtatious friendship.

After watching the Toros practice, Missy realizes the squad has been copying routines from a rival team that her previous high school competed against. She drives Torrance to Los Angeles, where they watch the East Compton Clovers perform routines that are virtually identical to the Toros'. Isis, the Clovers' team captain, angrily confronts the two. Torrance learns that "Big Red" regularly attended the Clovers' practices to videotape and steal their routines. Isis informs Torrance of her plans to defeat the Toros at the regional and national championships, which the team has never attended due to their economic hardship.

When Torrance tells the Toros about the routines, the team still votes in favor of using the current routine to win; Torrance reluctantly agrees. At the Toros' next home game, Isis and her teammates show up and perform the Toro's routine in front of the whole school, humiliating them. The Toros realize that they have no choice but to learn a different routine. In desperation, they employ a professional choreographer named Sparky Polastri, which was suggested by Torrance's boyfriend, Aaron.

At the Regionals, the team before the Toros performs the exact routine they had been practicing. The Toros have no choice but to perform the very same routine. After the debacle that ensues, Torrance speaks to a competition official and is told the routine was given to several other teams

in California. As the defending champions, the Toros are nevertheless granted their place at Finals, but Torrance is warned that a new routine will be expected.

Torrance, crushed by her failure to lead the team successfully, considers quitting. Cliff encourages and supports her, intensifying their growing attraction. Aaron, however, suggests that she is not leadership material and recommends that she step down from her position. When Cliff sees Torrance and Aaron together, he severs his friendship with Torrance. Although distressed, Torrance's confidence is renewed by Cliff's encouragement and she convinces her unhappy team to create an innovative, new routine instead. She breaks up with Aaron, realizing his infidelity and inability to be supportive, but Cliff still refuses to forgive her.

Meanwhile, the Clovers are initially unable to compete at Nationals due to financial problems. This prompts Torrance to get her dad's company to sponsor the Clovers, but Isis rejects the money and gets her team to Nationals by appealing to a talk show host who grew up in their area. In the finals, the Toros place second, while the Clovers win. However, Torrance and Isis find respect in each other. 

Awards - Tonys 2013 - Musicals - Kinky Boots

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KINKY BOOTS

Synopsis from IMDb

Charles Price may have grown up with his father in the family shoe business, but he never thought that he would take his father's place. Yet, the untimely death of his father places him in that position, only to learn that Price & Sons Shoes is failing. While in despair at his failed attempts to save the business, Charles has a chance encounter with the flamboyant drag queen cabaret singer, Lola. Her complaints about the inadequate footwear for her work combined with one of Charles' ex-employees, Lauren, leads to a suggestion to change the product to create a desperate chance to save the business: make men's fetish footwear. Lola is convinced to be their footwear designer and the transition begins. Now this disparate lot must struggle at this unorthodox idea while dealing both the prejudice of the staff, Lola's discomfort in the small town and the selfish manipulation of Charles' greedy fiancée who cannot see the greater good in Charles' dream. 

Price & Sons, located in Northampton, is a fourth generation owned and operated family business specializing in quality shoes for men. The heir apparent to the company, Charlie Price, is not planning on taking over the company but rather move to London with his fiancée, Nicola Marsden, both who want to get as far away from the company and the close-mindedness of Northampton as possible. Charlie's plans change when Harold Price, Charlie's father and current company president, suddenly dies. In dealing with immediate company issues, Charlie learns that the primary contract on which the company had been working has long expired - something that Harold hid from everyone - meaning that there is no work and little prospect for work with their current line of shoes. Under the circumstances, Charlie feels he has no other option but to lay off several of his employees. Instead, Nicola wants Charlie to sell the business; she even finds a buyer, a property developer who wants to convert the factory into upscale condos. But one of Charlie's employees, a young woman named Lauren who would be one of those laid off, believes Charlie would be taking the easy way out by either of these options and that he is not looking out for the interests of the company's loyal and hard working employees. She suggests he change the business model and create another line of shoes in a niche market. Upon a chance meeting with a relatively large drag queen named Lola, Charlie comes up with the idea of specializing in fashionable women's boots made for the general heft of drag queens. There are many obstacles to converting the business to this new model including meshing fashionable design with the required functionality of the boots, and having a relatively conservative town, business and employees into supporting this change, especially with their target market being "unfamiliar" people such as Lola. With Lola's assistance, these changes are both advanced and hindered. Charlie believes that to make the company truly successful in this new model, he has to show the boots during the Milan fashion season using the target market, drag queens, as the models. Showing in Milan takes money, money which Charlie doesn't have. But more importantly, Charlie has to overcome some internal issues with himself to be successful in this venture.

Memorials Not Just for the Dead, but for the Harm

I just found out that there are two half sized Viet Nam Memorials that travel around the country.  One of them is now in Malden, MA  until June 10th.  Here is a link about it.

http://artery.wbur.org/2013/06/09/vietnam-moving-wall

This is a “miniature” (half sized) of the original Viet Nam Memorial in Washington, D.C. that was designed by Maya Lin.

This is a remarkable monument and deserves to be seen by everyone.  I’m glad to know that there are two copies that travel around giving even more people an opportunity to view it.  It is remarkable because it is based on memorializing the individual soldiers, specifically those who died, rather than honoring some general on a horse or in full regalia.  This monument honors those that deserve to be honored.  And the way that it honors them is most effective.  One cannot help but be struck dumb when in the presence of this memorial.

But I would still like a memorial to do more.  The reason why people are against the war is not just because of the deaths, but of the price of war.  Not the price in American dollars just as not the price in American servicemen.  For every dead serviceman (or servicewoman) there are many more that are harmed in some way – emotionally, financially, etc.  How many dead servicepeople had a bereft spouse?  How many children will no longer have a father or mother?  How many parents saw their child die before their own death?  How many people lost a good friend?  These harms should be considered in the cost of war.

And the cost to the victims (I will not call them the enemy because most of them were not enemies) on the other side?  Such as in the Iraq war.  Over 100,000 died because of our “shock and awe” bombs.  These people were not our enemies.  And of their deaths, how many widows were created?  Or widowers?  Or parents?  Or children?

And what about the social cost of war?  How many people lost their jobs and could no longer afford to provide for their family?  How many people lost their belongings in a devastated society with no means to replace them?  How many people lost all hope for their future?

More than the dead should be memorialized regarding a war.  All of the harm that is caused all of the victims should be memorialized as well.  But where is such a memorial but in the poetry of poets like Walt Whitman and others?

THE TEST THAT CHANGED MY LIFE

The Test That Changed My Life

Feb.  July 7^th = 50.  After applying the principles of interpolation that I had learned in statistics, I figured that the number 50 would probably mean that I would be called up in the first draft lottery in February, 1970, plus or minus three days with a confidence level of 92%.

It was the Fall of 1969 and the fall of my dreams as it was the first year of the military draft lottery.  The need to draft young people to fight in Viet Nam had become so great that the draft boards, in an effort to appear impartial, had randomly picked calendar dates for the year and assigned them sequential numbers.  These dates represented the birth dates of draftees and would let young people know when during the year they could expect their number to be up.  July 7^th, my birthday, was assigned the sequential number 50 and so I figured I would be drafted around the last week in February.

I was going to college in Ohio that Fall and I received word from my local draft board in Jacksonville, Florida to come in for the dreaded draft physical.  I tested the system by submitting a request to have my physical in Ohio since that was where I was attending school and I no longer had any family or other reason to go to Florida.  Their approval gave me a one month’s reprieve for the physical.

I immediately dropped out of school and with no money, I got a ride with a student to Chicago where I had a friend.  I stayed with him while I went to as many draft counseling centers as I could to try to come up with a way to fail my physical.  But I was told that at least 80% of the inductees wanted to fail and unless I had reams of medical reports indicating a long history of a very serious problem, the best way to beat the draft was to flee to Canada.

At the end of my reprieve, I hitchhiked from Chicago to southern Ohio just in time for the physical.  On the selected day, I met a group of other boys assigned the same fate and we traded stories in the bus on our way to the center in Cincinnati.  One boy had been on speed for 14 days straight with minimal sleep hoping that his blood pressure would keep him from being drafted.  Another told of how he would climb on top of his dresser, barefoot, and jump down.  He would do this over and over again hoping that his fallen arches would mean that he couldn’t do the necessary marching and so he would fail.  And I remembered hearing the stories while in Chicago of boys who would get a revolver and literally shoot themselves in their foot.  The bus ride was filled with the nervous laughter of boys describing not only their quiet but also unquiet acts of desperation.

After assembling in the main hall, I was surprised to hear my name called out along with three other names to go into a side room.  I was even more surprised when I saw these other three carrying duffel bags.  And I panicked as I listened to an officer snap the instructions of boarding a bus to go to boot camp in South Carolina.  After telling them that there must have been some mistake as I was there for my physical, not to go to boot camp, they checked their papers and agreed.  By this time, all of the others who were there for their physical had already gone through the first of several exam stations.  So I went to the first station alone, and filled out the form regarding medical history.  While filling out the form, I checked off ear problems, knee problems, and ankle problems – all with no supporting documents.

I then rushed through another station and caught up with the rest so I was last in line.  We went through the motions of turning our head and coughing even though the examiner was already three boys down the line by the time we coughed.  The swiftness of the examiner as we “bent and spread” convinced me of the superficiality of the entire examination process and so I started planning my escape to Canada while in the line waiting for the hearing test.

The hearing test consisted of sitting in a soundproof room with five others, putting on a set of earphones, and then turning a dial to the left if we didn’t hear the tone, and to the right if we did hear the tone.  Of course they knew that everyone would want to claim that they couldn’t hear the tone so they advised/warned us that the different tones were set in such a way that they could determine if a person could consistently not hear a tone or if they were faking it.  Also, anyone who failed the test once was required to take the test a second time which would insure consistency of one’s responses or dire consequences if the tests were inconsistent.

Being the last person in line, I wound up entering the room by myself while the rest of the line had progressed to the next station.  I put the earphones on and although I’ll admit to being rather liberal in my turns to the left, I wasn’t radical.  The day before the exam, I had developed a boil in my right ear but it hadn’t affected my normal hearing very much.  But evidently when the earphones were on, they pressed my ear against this boil so that I honestly couldn’t hear the tones I was supposed to hear.  After looking at my results, and evidently looking at its consistency, and realizing that I was already one station behind everyone else, they indicated I had failed it and didn’t make me take it over again.

Finally, at the last station, an examiner saw that I had checked off ear problems on my medical history and saw that I had royally and gloriously failed the hearing exam.  He then looked in my ear, saw the boil, and evidently didn’t like what he saw.  I was never so glad to hear that I had failed a test as I was that day.  It was enough to make me wish that I believed in a god that I could thank.

That night, my girlfriend and I took the last $18.00 we had together and went out for dinner to celebrate.  We celebrated by setting our wedding date to be February 7^th, 1970.

HELPING MY MOTHER THROUGH HER DYING PROCESS

My mother had been bed-ridden for five years after suffering from heart congestion and five cardiac arrests in one night.  But her mind was sharp and since she was in a great nursing home, our times together were quality times.  Then her systems started to fail her one by one.  After a while, the doctors and nurses said that if my siblings wanted to see her while still alive, they should arrive immediately.  They came and we would all gather around her bed and talk with her and often sing songs.  She could no longer eat or drink and so we took turns putting ice on her lips in hopes of giving her some moisture as she had said she did not want to be hooked up to an IV to prolong the process.  But her mind was still sharp, and she was talking about dying and even looking forward to it. 

She explained to us that it wasn’t a matter that she didn’t want to eat – but rather that she couldn’t.  She had lost her swallow reflex and she knew that she would probably die by starvation.  She said she had heard of people dying that way and always thought it would be a terrible way to go, but she told us that it wasn’t bad at all.  She was in no pain and she was actually looking forward to dying with us around her.  I was able to relate this part of the story in a Letter to the Editors during the time of Terry Schiavo hoping to convince people that it truly isn’t an onerous way to die.

After the next weekend, my siblings had to return to their jobs and family as there was no indication how much longer my mother would be able to hold on.  Then, around Tuesday of that week, she started to recover.  No one knows how or why, she just recovered.  She was still bed-ridden and she had her ups and downs.  And her ups weren’t as high as before and her downs might have been lower.  But she continued from February to December when her systems started to shut down again.

But this time, she wasn’t talking about it like in February.  Finally, around the middle of the month, I asked her if she didn’t think she was going through the same process a before.  She said she assumed she probably was but then I asked her why she didn’t feel free to talk about it as before.  She explained that she didn’t want to die around the Christmas holidays for fear of it spoiling our holidays.  I was thankful for the opportunity to tell her that I had just listened to a program (on NPR) about people going through the dying process and how for some it is an easy voyage, while for others it is a difficult voyage.  I told her how the difference seemed to be in the concept of “Letting Go”.  The patient needed to feel free to let go.  But I also told her that the relatives also need to learn the concept of letting go.  Often, a person will recognize they are dying and will mention it.  Immediately, the family members will chime in and over-ride her and say that “No, you’re going to make it.  You’re going to overcome this.”  So while a patient wants to talk about going through this dying process, they are often not allowed to.  And so refusing to “let go” on the part of either the patient or the patient’s family may make the voyage even more difficult.

I told her that as far as her family was concerned, we had felt ready to have her die back in February.  If there was anything we felt needed to be done before she died, we had had plenty of time to prepare for it.  So it wouldn’t be something that took us by surprise and set us back. 

The next day, when the nurse came in to dress her, my mother told the nurse “I’m ready to die now”, and she did – two days later.

I was so glad that I could be a positive force in my mother’s dying process.  So many people have so many tragic stories of their loved ones dying.  I feel blessed that my story is such a positive one.

David Kimball