May 18, 2020

Hey Gang,

I was thinking this weekend about the concept of “getting stuck.” In the past, that’s often meant stuck on a slow-moving bus, in an elevator, or on the subway. On the way back from an international business trip last year, a group of us got stuck in Frankfurt overnight. You know that feeling of exasperation when you want nothing more than to get home, and there’s not a damn thing you do can about it? That was us – six tired, pissed off strangers stuck in a 3-star airport hotel with a poor-man’s-Disney-version of a German restaurant in the lobby.

Over soggy schnitzel and steins of beer that put Oktoberfest to shame, we found a new story. We were no longer castaways, being held against our will at a soulless TGI Freitags. No, we were a pioneering team of survivors who had risen like phoenixes from the smoldering ashes of a travel nightmare, just in time for last call. We totally crushed being stuck. Our “stuck” was better than most people’s normal day! With newfound pride in our resilience, we felt empowered, amused… and even fortunate. We actually felt fortunate to be stuck together in that Bavarian mediocrity. The next morning, we parted ways, all heading to separate destinations knowing we would never occupy the same space together again. There was something magical and heartwarming about the entire thing. It’s one of my favorite memories of the trip.

News & Resources

• Connecticut Nursing Home Owner Puts Staff in On-Site RVs to Prevent COVID-19 Infections – touching and compelling story about nursing home owner who put his personal savings to work to protect his residents and staff; he also increased pay and continues to pay furloughed workers, and they have zero cases of the virus

• I got a positive COVID-19 antibody test. What do I do with that? — spoiler alert… nothing

• The COVID-19 pandemic will have a long-term impact on healthcare. Here are 4 changes to expect

• Two Coasts. One Virus. How New York Suffered Nearly 10 Times the Number of Deaths as California.

From the Community

• Peninsula heart drug maker soars on positive late-stage clinical trial – so exciting for the MyoKardia team, and for patients!

Food Fight – send me yours!

Today’s winner is Rekha Hemrajani, Chair of the Audit Committee at Adverum! Commendable shellfish-to-other-stuff ratio here.

Chef’s comments: “I am grateful that we are taking turns cooking in my household. My teenage boys love to cook as much as they like to eat, and we get competitive with our dishes! So, with insatiable appetites for both quantity and diversity of food as inspiration, I whipped up a sumptuous Spanish paella with generous quantities of mussels, chorizo and shrimp.”

A Little Levity

• That BBC sportscaster has expanded his collection of dog commentaries – love this guy

• Video: Amazing the sketching skills here – entirely self-taught

Be well,

Jackie