They say the best surprise is no surprise, but I can’t quite say I agree. I mean, seriously. Who thought of that?
The best surprise is returning to your new country and your new husband after spending five weeks away, walking through the door and finding an oversized package covered with hearts with your name scrawled across the top.
Now, that is a surprise.
Since opening said package, I am the proud owner of a brand new deep blue Toshiba Satellite laptop complete with sound system speakers, built-in web cam, extra wide screen (since I am blind, you know) and all of my old documents and programs transferred over and ready to go.
The battery was even charged!
Accompanying my new gift was the sweetest letter a wife could ever hope to receive from her hubby-a proclamation declaring I was destined to earn “piles and piles” of money through my illustrious writing skills and this new little computer … ain’t he sweet?
The one itty, bitty thing lacking on my new beast, which is four times faster and has more than four times the memory of my dinosaur (I mean, come on, folks, the thing was THREE years old!) is my photo editor.
I can’t find it. Anywhere.
As I sat down to prepare my first LT post since jetting back home, I was disappointed to discover, or should I say, NOT discover my old editor. Then I realized … what better way to reboot my LT posts than with the simplest reminder of all?
It’s not what’s on the gift that is important, but the love with which that gift is sent. And with that said, I couldn’t have asked for more.
Happy Love Thursday. I am glad to be back.
Families of Spinal Muscular Atrophy Licenses Potential Treatment for SMA to Repligen Corporation.
Biotech Week November 4, 2009 Families of Spinal Muscular Atrophy (FSMA) announced that it has entered into a groundbreaking exclusive license agreement with Repligen Corporation for the development of a potential treatment of Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) (see also Spinal Muscular Atrophy).
SMA, the leading genetic killer of children under the age of two, is typically marked by the degeneration of muscle movement including the muscles that control crawling, walking, swallowing or breathing. There are no approved therapies for the treatment of SMA, which affects one in every 6,000 babies. One in every 40 people carries the gene that causes SMA, indicating approximately 7.5 million carriers in the United States.
Families of SMA was started by a small group of parents in 1984 who wanted to raise funds for SMA research and support all affected families. FSMA has funded $50 million for SMA research, raised from individual donations and through fundraising events held by volunteer families and Chapters.
FSMA made investments of $13 million during the last decade to bring this specific program to the cusp of clinical development. Through FSMA’s leadership, the research has resulted in a drug candidate that treats the underlying cause of SMA. In preclinical studies, the drug has been shown to efficiently cross the blood brain barrier – a critical feature for a neurological drug – and prolong survival significantly in two different mouse models of SMA. go to web site spinal muscular atrophy
Often an “Orphan Disease,” such as SMA, will not be “adopted” by the pharmaceutical industry because there is limited financial incentive to make new medications to treat smaller patient populations. This license agreement marks a significant milestone for the SMA community by securing the commitment of an industrial partner to develop potential treatments through the highly expensive human clinical trial phases. here spinal muscular atrophy
“At this point in the program, joining forces with a corporate partner to advance into clinical studies is the best way to meet our objective of accelerating drug development for SMA,” said Kenneth Hobby, President of Families of SMA. “Repligen is an ideal partner for this program with the necessary resources and expertise to invest in and focus on successfully developing this new treatment for SMA. We are very excited to partner with Repligen and look forward to making our combined efforts successful in delivering an effective treatment to our patients.” “Families of SMA has made remarkable progress in defining a series of highly potent compounds which may be clinical candidates for SMA,” stated Walter C. Herlihy, President and Chief Executive Officer of Repligen Corporation. “We look forward to working with FSMA and their collaborators in the development of what we hope will be an important new treatment for SMA.” Through the agreement with Repligen, Families of SMA has the potential to recover its investments through a series of milestone payments if the program successfully progresses through clinical stages and eventually reaches market approval.
Yay! My first laptop was a Toshiba Satellite…LOVED it! I would still use it if I could, in fact. Even though, yes, the love behind the gift is what counts, I do hope you get a photo editor soon
Happy LT!
Glad to know you liked your Toshiba. I’m loving it so far, and yes … I gotta get that editor ASAP!
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Welcome back.
Grazie mille!
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Ahhhh, what a sweetie pie
He’s a keeper!!!
Very timely on the laptop, C. I have been looking into getting my first one (I have a desktop). Being part German, I have researched it to death and I think I am switching over to a Mac
Good luck with yours!!!
Girl, you will totally fit in here in Italy. Pep researches everything to death, too! Hope you get one soon.
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what a lovely welcome home gift. What a fab husband!
hlt
Without a doubt!
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those letters are remembered so much more than the gifts…
Yes they are, Erin!!
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ahhh, just one of the things I miss about not having a husband! Have fun!
Thanks, Janet!!
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That is TOO sweet!!
What a good man!
I’m thinking I will keep him!
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Cherrye,
Oh, he it something that hubby of yours! For your camera situation, you don’t by any chance have the Microsoft Vista operating system on your new computer, do you? I have a Nikon camera (my beloved) and Vista just wasn’t liking the Nikon anything. So I downloaded Google Picasa and it works like a charm. It has a nice photo editor but that’s a whole comment.
P.S. Your guest bloggers were lovely and I’m glad you’re back!
I do have Vista, Sally. Thanks for the info on Google Picasa. I will check that out, as well.
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Your husband is one kind and thoughtful person…how sweet of him.
I still have the first letters my husband wrote to me…folded up in a special box..every now and then I have a peak!!
Treasure them.
I never realised you weren’t married..so Congratulations and wish you both happiness.
Why thank you, Anne. I have our old love letters, too and I *love* ‘em!
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Welcome *home*!
Wow, what a fab gift. The most amazing part is the work he did to transfer (almost) everything to the new computer. What a doll!
In the mean time, have you tried Picnik?
It’s free and you can work on your pics with it until you get your new photo editor.
That was definitely the best part. That is always so hard to do! Thanks for the lead. I will check it out!
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What a sweet husband! Have fun with your new toy
I am, thanks! BTW, I thought you were taking a blog vacay!!!
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What, a new husband AND a new computer? Are we a little greedy, dear? We still want a photo editor? (insert story about how in my day one had to etch photos onto a CD using a sewing needle and one error meant start all over again.) ( Alternative story of how in my day one blogged by building a fire with green wood [which is how I earned my name, names not being given out for free back then]and using a blanket– switch to aluminum “space blanket” to insert photos.)
He, he….
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a charged battery alone says “love”!!
Ha ha… yes, it does!
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Welcome home and what a GREAT husband!
Agreed, Jan. He’s a keeper!
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What a romantic guy you have there! I agree about the charged battery…but a sweet letter to go with it. Oh my.
There’s a blues song that has a line that says, “Don’t advertise your man.” Watch out…women are going to be standing in line to take him away from you!
Ok. Let me rephrase. He stinks. He is bad. He forgets anniversaries!!
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Welcome home Cherrye… hope you had a great time back here in the States. What a great gift.
Thanks, Joe!
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What a wonderful gift. To know that someone cares enough to put the thought & effort into a gift is also heart warming.
Welcome back, I hope you had a great time with your family and friends.
Thanks. I am LOVING my new laptop! I did have fun in Texas. Grazie mille.
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