About Lugnut -- Patrick Malone

That was a really cool post Bin. All of you guys have been so nice to me. Now, get this. What should be pretty lazy days because I get up without any plans almost always turn out to be very full. Man, I must have gotten five calls yesterday from afar just wishing me well and then the conversations turn to audio. Lot's of fun on the receiving end. It gets so full at times that I don't keep things straight. Here's a perfect example. Barb brought home a package and inside was an album "Traveling Willburys". I remember a call asking me if I had it but I don't remember the particulars so I figured I'd go to my email and send a thank you. Wrong. Ain't that organized I guess. So, whoever sent this, thanks and I'm sorry for not responding in a more apporpriate manner. Oh. And Paul, when I remarked I had a lifetime supply I really wasn't talking about my remaining life but rather on the quantity at hand. As soon as I said it I saw the humor. Glad you did too. I know you'll always make sure there is enough AIVS around this house. Every day has a healthy dose of humor around here even if it's by accident.

Hey guys, I should be getting the new cartridge today. I'll be twisting Steve's arm to come over and help my shakey hands install it. This will be fun. I fear I may have lost my anti-cables. After the club meeting at Steve's place the other night the lineup of guys wanting to give them a try was pretty long. I just said to pass them around but get them back to me. Har har. No matter at all. I smile every time I think about. People excited about a product that's almost free. What a hoot!

I go in for my second round of Taxol today and figure it will be anti-climactic. They're pretty slow the first time they give any new drug in anticipation of a negative reaction. Subsequent infusions go pretty quickly and this time I won't be given a huge dose of Benedryl. Man, that was a pretty intense high last week. Not bad at all. Kind of fun actually. It did take my day away though. I'm looking forward to getting back home today and resuming all the surprise activity that seems to occur.

We've been a four car family with two drivers. In quick succession one car got hit by someone that ran a stop sign and is totaled. I sold the Nova and then put the family sedan in the shop for a bunch of small items I've neglected. We're down to just my truck. I've been meaning to return a bunch of albums to SdCampbell and haven't done it. I'd like to get smaller boxes so those poor Postal employees don't get hurt but haven't been able to get to U-Haul to get some. Scott, I will get it done soon. Promise.

When we went to Steve's place on Monday for our audio club get together I finally got a chance to meet the sweet gal that helped him with my room remodel in late December. Seeing as how they are still seeing one another after hanging wall paper.....well, that's a good sign for being able to get along.

I received the ZYX R100H Yatra 2 today. Steve was kind enough to come over and install it rather than me using my shakey hands. I've got to say that right out of the box I was totally blown away. Of course, there are issues to be resolved through break in but man oh man, the details, body, speed, dynamics and frequency extremes are really something to behold. And this is through my solid state preamp. It's way more than I expected. The negatives for now is an edge in the mid range to upper mid range with vocals and some horns. I only have an hour or so on it and the edge is already getting less. If the break in goes as I've heard with the Universe in Steve's system it will become incredibly smooth yet retain all of the positives I've described. I haven't yet played with the VTA but I'm sure it's very close. Tracking has been set a little over what is preferred once broken in and is at 2.09 grams. Next week after 100 hours or so it'll go down to a more suitable 1.95 or so. The preamp has shipped and it too should be pretty well on it's way to being broken in late next week. Some friends have a lot of vintage tubes to try out with it so this should be fun. Wish me luck in having a lot of satisfaction when first fired up. If that's the case I'm done. Life is very good. Almost forgot. Spent 4 hours in chemo today. It's a pretty uneventful, boring thing to do. It seems I'm tolerating it well but have been advised about a number of irritating things that I will have to live with. Numbness in the fingers and feet, hair loss, taste change and perhaps some type of subborn and painful rash. That's okay as long as I've got my hearing and my wife. Plus, who needs to look in a mirror? It seems also that my friends really, honestly don't care what I look like. Why should I?

Way to go, Patrick. BTW, do try one day to listen to Mahler's 2nd symphony ("resurrection"). I think you'll like it! Cheers

Lugnut,
For the chemo sessions you might try a nice pair of headphones and a load of your favorite tunes on a portable 20MB hard drive MP3 player. Might preoccupy the mind.

Smokester,

Love your moniker. I've thought of that MP3 player thing too. I've ripped all of my CD's into my computer but no longer use digital in my main system. I don't have a player and can't justify the expense. NOTE: DON'T ANYONE DARE SEND ME A PLAYER AS A GIFT OR ON LOAN!!! I take books to read but they give me drugs that put me to sleep. And they feed us lunch. Sleep is good but lunch is better. But the steroids....

That's now part of my daily meds. Also, each treatment consists of a mega dose of some other kind of steroid. Having been a cancer patient and used them previously I'm aware of what they do to me. My mind goes a little too fast and is not as easy to control. So, maybe I now put my foot in my mouth more often. Also, they tend to make me more aggressive which I try very hard not to do. I usually feel bad after being that way even if it was deserved so I just don't like it. I think, at least online, people can put up with the chatty part but I fear I might alienate some good people when it's the drugs and not me talking. It's so nice that I can come to this thread and not even be tempted to degrade the conversation. Other threads, uhoh, watch out. I gotta get disciplined. It don't make no sense in fussin' with a jackass.

Stayed up til 3 am listening to the new cartridge. It's smoothed out some even with that short of a time. I got a lot of enjoyment out of it. Now I don't want to do anything else. It sucks to deny the urge to sit and listen in exchange for the drudgery of acquiring dishpan hands.