Normand Bourque: Tech Superhero

Normand Bourque has a knack. We both knew it back in '93 when we purchased our first PC. Within six months, friends and relatives paraded sick, sputtering, coughing towers to our door. It was with a patient loving hand that Normand Bourque picked, tweaked, and listened to the groans of these early machines, bringing many back from the point of near death to run, whirr, and in essence, compute again.

He's now a Lan Analyst for DCP Midstream, Duke Conoco Philips, and he saves the world every day one computer at a time.

*This photo shows Normand Bourque poised before his laptop as he has collapsed in a state of exhaustion while networking into yet another sick (possibly dying) computer after normal work hours were over (hours ago).

You think I'm exaggerating? Oh, no. I've see him locked in the back room for hours or days on a weekend or late at night with a critical case many times-- swapping out mother boards, adding memory sticks, repairing drivers, reconfiguring the bios, and changing ISP's (whatever the heck all that means). He finally emerges with dark circles beneath his eyes and a satisfied tone in his voice as Mr. Bourque, Lan Analyst, annouces, "This one made it. It's going to be okay."

Oh sure, he saves me from technological peril from time to time-- like the time I lost my first novel. My laptop gasps the sigh of death just before it "blackscreened". Norm brings it back. (I deleted the silly thing myself a year later because it was really bad.)

Many times my machine misbehaves by making unusual groaning noises, refusing to save documents, and sometimes just locking up for no reason. Normand lays a tender hand on the monitor, and releases a few gentle clicks with the mouse, and all is well.

"I did the same thing you did, and nothing happened," he's hears me puff.

Normand smiles wryly, "I've heard that before. It's just that I have a knack."

It may sound strange, but computers behave when Norm's in the vicinity, and it's a lucky streak for me to have "in house tech support". But is that why Normand Bourque is my superhero? No. It's only an extra perk.

*Normand Bourque was one of the first Computer Nerdz in the Oklahoma City Area back in 2001 when Computer Nerdz opened their doors for business. This was his first official job working with computers, and he has the certificate to prove it. He held the Microsoft MCSE certification at this time. To date, he holds several Microsoft certifications.

Normand Bourque is my personal hero. He's the father to our three beautiful children. He's my best friend. He's my advocate and my supporter and sometimes, my cheerleader. He lets me do and think what I want, and he loves me anyway. He's a spiritual person, full of imagination, and yet he stays curiously grounded. He's everything I admire, and living with him on a daily basis is an existence that encourages me to be better as a person while having complete acceptance for who I am now.

What's it like living with a geek? For certain, I know tons of trivia about Star Wars, Star Trek (and the important differences between the two), Harry Potter, and Lord of the Rings Trilogy. Beyond that, it's not much different than life with anyone else. Besides the occasional conversations involving Bill Gates, Einstein, or Nikola Tesla, (of which I usually tune out and rerun the last T.V. episode of "Gossip Girls" in my head although I've been known to put in my two cents worth on such topics as the theory of relativity, mind expansion, and the controversy of the "Philadelphia experiment"), we think and talk about our memories, dreams, and goals.

We love walking hand in hand at Hefner Park in Oklahoma City, especially at dusk. We also try to find great new places to explore. We call this urban exploring, and we try to explore at least a couple of weekends a month. During this time our friends may join or find us as art exhibits, restaurants, clubs, craft fairs, museums, or any place in general that we've never been before.

We love to be together, and we both love finding a new adventure. We both love chocolate, tea, wine, beer, and music from the sixties to present times. Occasionally, we find ourselves drawn to a concert or a water park.

Whether we're at home, on the town, or out of state, we are at home with each other. Our future holds graduations and weddings of our children, lots of DVD rentals, and a trip to Europe in four and a half years (we've set a goal).

I enjoy the tiny insignificant moments of my day because I know he is coming home to me in the evening. I can make my life meaningful on my own through a prodigious sense of independence. Normand Bourque makes my life happy.