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ChatGPT Tried to Explain Me
After years of conversations about technology, history, memoirs, civic issues, creativity, and absurd humor, I asked ChatGPT to describe who I am. The result was a detailed portrait of an archivist, community-minded technologist, storyteller, and observer of systems, people, & preservation. Read More
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Royals Visit Front Royal
I spent the day navigating security checkpoints, crowded sidewalks, and exhaustion as King Charles III & Queen Camilla visited Front Royal. Between helicopters, sheep, media crews, and improvised celebrations, my quiet Shenandoah Valley town briefly became the center of international attention. Read More
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Death of Mother, Barbara Ellen Royston
I raced through the night to reach my mother, knowing time was running out, but she was gone before I arrived. In the aftermath, I pieced together her life, her wishes, and my own conflicted grief from a distance. Read More
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Mom Rushed to Hospital
I watch my mother fade from afar, caught between grief and a life finally improving. Each call tightens the knot of guilt and love, as I question my feelings, brace for loss, and hold onto what little connection remains. Read More
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Death of Grandfather Edward William “Tiny” Royston
A childhood memory, a family story, and newspaper records tell conflicting versions of my grandfather’s death during a 1980 snowstorm. As I piece them together, questions emerge about what really happened, and how memory, emotion, and time reshape truth. Read More
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Moved to Clement Ave, Parkville, MD (Camper)
After a last-minute delay in securing a home loan, my parents and I spent our earliest days living in my grandparents’ camper in Parkville. Between teething pains, close quarters, and family lore, the experience became an unexpected beginning. Read More
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First Residence: Mars Estates, Essex, MD
After being kicked out over a high school dance, my mother moved into a small Mars Estates studio she called the “roach motel.” It became the setting for early family stories—including the night she believed I was conceived. Read More