about
Bienvenue, mes amis! I've always been fascinated by the idea of the Unreliable Narrator, and how memories and time change the stories you're sure are true. In a way, any writing is only mostly true. Originally this started as a place to only tell stories, but I'm also using it as a digital garden for my thoughts and ideas about life and accessibility.
My name is Tim Eaton, but all my friends call me Virgil. It's nice to have a real name that I chose, one that I always dreamt I was called. I stick with Tim for work and legal reasons, but Virgil is way more fun.
A few things to know about me: I've spent my whole life traveling. My parents moved from Worcestor, where I was born, to Missouri and Vermont and New Hampshire and Pennsylvania. I left home for Spokane and Seattle, and found myself in nearly every city in the US, playing music and making friends. As I grew older, my circle expanded to include Ireland, The Philipines, France, China, Korea, Taiwan, Mexico, and Colombia.
These days home is Switzerland, with my lovely wife Julie, and two cats, one old, one young and diabolical. There's also a roommate, her son, and her dog. We have a grand apartment together, near the Lake, 15 minutes from Geneva by train.
Botched surgeries ended up with several years spent in the hospital as I turned 40, and now I use a wheelchair for my travels. This is new enough that I'm still processing all the implications. I try to work through them by writing about my thoughts and feelings on this blog. I fully expect them to change over time. Anger and despair do flair up, but in general I remain myself, curious and happy-go-lucky.
"Your assumptions are your windows on the world. Scrub them off every once in a while, or the light won't come in."― Isaac Asimov
I have been a writer and a programmer for most of my life, but I've had many jobs, from volunteer fireman to disaster relief, barista to chef, street musician to animal caretaker, day laborer to director to teacher - all around the world. During this time I've met many people and gathered many stories to tell.
As for the rest, you'll discover that over time. I can't ever say no to an adventure, not even though I need a wheelchair now, so I'm going to sit and write about people and happenstances. Please enjoy!
"The love of wilderness is more than a hunger for what is always beyong reach; it is also an expression of loyalty to the earth, the earth which bore us and sustains us, the only paradise we shall ever know, the only paradise we ever need, if only we had the eyes to see." - Edward Abbey
A note on AI:
I never use AI to write, but I have found one prompt that I find very engaging and will continue to use.
Acting as an editor, are you engaged by this story? Are there any confusing parts? If so, please explain.
The response is great, like notes from an editor. I find this to be ethical, because I use the notes (or ignore them) to rewrite entirely in my own words. I never use it to change or generate content.
Colophon:
I designed this site myself to be fluid and easy on the eyes, using Astro as the engine and Vercel for hosting. The only font used is Arvo, which I love for readability and headers. The main image was created with OpenAI, and any photographs will be attributed in the stories. I have an RSS feed if you'd rather view it in your own preferred program.
If you or anyone you know need design or programming help, I charge on a sliding scale - anything from cups of coffee and a pain au chocolat for bit of help, to hard Euros for corporate work. You can find my freelancer site at timeaton.dev.
I'm more than happy to answer any questions you might have about building your own Astro site! I'm also thrilled to meet anyone who passes through Geneva, and emails from strangers make my day.
