Happy Birthday Duane Storey

It was two years ago that a guy came up to me at Northern Voice and told me he enjoyed my live blog from the previous summer. We chatted about that event, about the conference, and he said he was going to head out and buy a MacBook, which he did (and he hasn’t looked back). Over the next few weeks we chatted on iChat and when Duane Storey invited us out to his birthday party we showed up with bells on.

Duane’s birthday, 2007 – Photo credit: Duane Storey on Flickr

If you just want to sit around, geek out, write code, then watch movies, Duane’s all for it. If you’ve had a rough day and want to head out to grab a pint and a big plate of nachos, he’s your man too. If you want to pack up the car and head for a camping trip (especially in the most undesirable conditions) Duane will be right there with you — and he’ll even supply the sweet sweet tunes of John Mayer to get you through that last round of chopping wood.

Photo credit: Duane Storey on Flickr

In the fall of 2006 Duane was the victim of a violent beating downtown and he still bears the scars from his anonymous attackers (who will probably never be brought to justice). Sometimes I wish we would have known him just a few months sooner so that we could have been there for him during this tough time, but I’ve come to realize that we’re lucky to have Duane in our lives now and everyday since he’s such a special guy.

Photo credit: Duane Storey on Flickr

Even though we don’t see him as much anymore (since he’s too busy cow-tipping & riding tractors) he knows that time or distance will not affect our friendship.

Duane brings humour and fun to almost every situation and he’s such a great friend to both John and me. He’s got a big, big heart and I’m glad to have a great person like him in my life. Happy Birthday Duane!