#9 - Todd (I don't even know his last name)

OK, OK...it's not what you are thinking.  It's definately not this. 

I have to call my #9 by his first name, because honestly, I don't know his last name.  Let me set the scene for you.  When I first started working at PTRC, the world was a different place.  They still had ashtrays in the treatment rooms.  The billing was handwritten each day on a ledger card which was then filed away by hand.  Progress notes for patients were handwritten on pieces of loose-leaf paper and stapled together... if we decided to write a note at all. 

To say a lot has changed since then is an understatement.  Not to sound all important, but a lot of the changes that have happened at PTRC were because of yours truly...and Todd.

Todd was my first computer guy.  Even before PTRC had computers.  He stopped by the office one day to drop off business cards for his new computer business.  He helped me sell Mr. Ken on the idea of buying one computer for the office.  I think it looked like this. 

It was 1992 and Microsoft had just introduced Windows 3.1.  Windows???  What the heck was that???  Up until that point, my computer background included a class at USL on how to write a computer program using Fortran.  So anyway, Mr. Ken bought a computer for the office and since he was the boss, it went on his desk, in his office.  Great...except...he did not know how to use it.  So Todd and I spent a lot of time in Mr. Ken's office setting up programs for billing, computer generated forms, and in general, record keeping.

As anyone who fights with, babies, cusses at, works with computers knows, the value of a good technical support person is key.  You spend a lot of time with them on the phone troubleshooting.  You watch them do things on your computer that you did not know could be done.  You Watch, You Listen, You Learn.  Part of this process is engaging in small talk while you are either 1. on the phone with another computer support person or 2. waiting and waiting and waiting for something to update.  Suffice it to say, you get to know them well. 

Years passed...Mr. Ken's business became my business...Todd's business grew...I got married, He got married.  I had kids, he had kids.  He sold me lots more computers...and printers...and scanners...and routers.  I remember one time he had to crawl underneath our old building on Gabasse Street because he could not run computer cable through the fire wall the ran the length of the old house (and I'm not talking about computer firewall).  After several years of running his own business and holding my hand as I learned all about computers, he eventually took a job running the computer sales and service division at Office Depot when the Houma store opened.  I still see him from time to time when I go there to get more computers...and printers...and scanners...and routers.  He probably doesn't remember me, but I will always remember him as one of my great teachers, and I will always remember his name (because it is printed on his Office Depot name tag!)