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About Lugnut -- Patrick Malone

Many of us have come to know Patrick Malone (Lugnut) as a friendly, helpful, knowledgeable and kind individual. He is a frequent and enthusiastic contributor to our analog discussion forum. He has initiated only 17 threads, but responded to 559 threads. I would guess that many, if not most, of us can recall a time when Pat replied with helpful advice to a question we posted or helped us track down a rare recording. I have come to love Pat as a friend, and to respect him as a man, and I suspect many of you share those feelings.

Today I write to share difficult news with you. Pat has been diagnosed with an aggressive stomach cancer. It has yet to be determined whether surgery will even be worth it. If surgery is performed, most or all of the stomach will be removed, and Pat would face a difficult and long post-op period in the hospital. The medical course is still uncertain, but will be determined soon. Whatever is decided, it will not be easy or pleasant.

Something may be planned in the future to assist the family. For now, Pat could use some of the friendship he so often and willingly showed us. You can email Pat at: lugnut50@msn.com. You can also mail cards, letters ... or whatever. You may email me for Pat's mailing address. My email is: pfrumkin1@comcast.net.

I hope to spend a few days with Pat in Idaho or Nebraska (from which he hails) soon. Between this news, my legal work, getting ready for family arriving for the holidays, Audio Intelligent, and trying to make plans to visit Pat, my head is spinning. If you email me and I don't respond, please understand that I am not ignoring you, but rather simply do not have time to reply.

Pat may or may not have time to respond to posts here, to emails, or to cards mailed to him. But he has asked me to convey to each and every one of you that he has cherished your friendship, your comradery, and sharing our common hobby on this great website.

As we prepare for our holiday season celebrations, and look forward to -- as we should -- enjoying this time of year, I ask that you keep Pat and his family in mind ... and softly offer up, in quiet moments in the still of night and early morning, prayers for Pat and his family. God bless.

Warmest regards to all,
Paul Frumkin
paul_frumkin
davt's avatar
davt
505 posts
 
Pat, It is the "All Time Greatest Hits of Roy Orbison". I just got the phono card for my new Creek Amp and am back in vinyl. It has been two days and that has been hard, though I must admit, that since I got a Hydra, digital sounds down right, acceptable.

Yeah, if anybody ever asks what makes a Linn LP12 so good you can always tell them that it's the only turntable that you could name "Emily" and not insult the universe. I mean, could you see Albert's "Rockport Techno System III Very Serious" with a name like "Emily". No, that machine is "The Rock". Some of us like things soft and sweet, others watch wrestling. (No intended insult to vinophiles out there who may own and appreciate these fine beasts).

I hope to do a little dedicated listening this weekend as it has been a hard week. Maybe a nice bottle of Oregon wine, some fine music. Maybe nature will do something special and provide a few snow flakes. Yep, it's going to be a good weekend. Maybe something stupendous will happen.
dav
davt's avatar
davt
505 posts
 
Sorry Mr. Porter, somehow I thought that you had a Rockport, my appoligies. However, if you went out right away and picked one up at your local Hi-Fi store this thread could retain it's high degree of accuracy and attention to detail.
dav.
bin
119 posts
 
Patrick,
I think you know from my stories how much you have come to mean to me. Though in some ways this has been brutal it has also been beautiful and I feel honored that I have been able to participate in it in a small way. We will all someday travel your path and I thank you for showing us the way.
ccryder
45 posts
 
I just stumbled onto this thread recently. Stunning. I am not sure what impresses/moves me more - that Lugnut (great name) is sharing his experience or that people are here hanging with it. I mean, mortality is something we usually try to put in the closet and hope it doesn't get us. Oops. And instead, people on this thread are talking about maybe the most mysterious aspect of life. With a guy who is fully conscious of his mortality and who is writing about it, out loud, publicly, in its mental, physical and spiritual dimensions, in technicolor and surround sound.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is extraordinary. On an audiophile forum, no less.

One little add. I work in the medical field. I was at a conference last weekend focused on breast cancer, dealing in part with the quality of breast cancer survivors' lives, post treatment. The presenter's data was that the quality of life for those whose treatment was surgery and/or radiation was essentially the same as the rest of the population. But those women who had had chemotherapy (meaning a more serious cancer) reported a higher quality of life than the population. This is a paradoxical finding, because chemo is no treat. I suspect it is because women who are given chemo really have the veil lifted to their ordinary denial of their mortality, and as a result, experience a spiritual response to this heightened awareness, as if we all know a depth equal to the event.

Not just for Pat, but for all of us: may we find our way to love, itself.
clueless
763 posts
 
Hi Pat:

Your last post just takes one's breath away Pat. If you have time and strength to "post some thoughts I (you) have on our passion of audio," as you mentioned above, I'd love to hear your refections on the topic.

And re your comment above that "this particular post is important enough that I'd like to think you guys will save it to a word document for future reference".....well, I'm sure the entire thread is downloaded into harddrives and hearts all around.

A tune that was playing last night as I checked into this thread but really didn't have the courage (is that the right word?) to post.

A tune by Warren Zevon, the first verse goes goes....

"Shadows are falling and I'm running out of breath
Keep me in your heart for awhile

If I leave you it doesn't mean I love you any less
Keep me in your heart for awhile

When you get up in the morning and you see that crazy sun
Keep me in your heart for while

There's a train leaving nightly called when all is said and done
Keep me in your heart for while

Sha-la-la-la-la-la-la-li-li-lo
Keep me in your heart for while"

A long while I'm sure.
Godspeed Pat.

I remain,
Clueless
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