"45 Weird Minutes" —
Well, that's an odd choice for a website's name, right?
You might enjoy knowing that there's an authentically nerdy and slightly romantic story behind that quirky name...
When I was in college and just starting to study electrical engineering many years ago, my girlfriend (now wife extraordinare) gave me the gift of a briefcase.
Yes, a briefcase. And I was thrilled.
When everyone else had a backpack over their shoulder, I was the individiual who brought the briefcase to class; you know — that person.
A bit nerdy, but professional I thought.
The briefcase was the home to thermodynamics and circuits texts, pens and mechnical pencils, an HP reverse-polish-notation calculator
and plenty of assignments and lab reports.
One day, I ran across this little metal plaque that simply read "45 Weird Minutes" — it was mysterious.
And so I taped it inside so that when I would open my briefcase, that's what I would see.
We were going to go out on a date. I went to Goodwill, and I purchased china and a tablecloth, candlesticks, candle holders, silverware, napkins — the whole nine yards.
(Seafoam green was the color at the time!) And I took out all the textbooks and put the place settings inside.
Then I was ready for the date.
"Where?" you might ask...
Taco Bell.
Now, before you judge my ability to impress a date, let me tell you the rest of the story.
At Taco Bell, we put out the spread, the tablecloth, the plates, the napkins, the candle sticks — everything.
And surprisingly, a Taco Bell quesadilla on china under candlelight — looks supreme!
So the Taco Bell staff came over and asked "You're proposing, right?"
I said... "No, we're just enjoying 45 weird minutes."
It's been quite a few years now, but we still enjoy that story. And I still have the briefcase and I'm recreating the long-lost plaque to go inside.
45 minutes is about the right amount of time to enjoy something a bit different, a few moments of delightful non-linearity, a little bit of unpredictability,
a bit of "What if?" And I hope you enjoy this website. That's what it's about.
