What I Do... Work
Right now, I currently work full-time and attend school part-time at George Mason University. During the day, I am webmaster for the Center for History and New Media. This means that I am usually doing systems administration, web development, computer techie stuff, and the like.

What I Do... Academics
After taking three history graduate classes at GMU, I decided that what I really want to do is go back full-time in a doctoral program. Chinese history has always fascinated me, but the language preparation is intense. Since I made this decision a year and a half ago, I've been taking Chinese classes at GMU and in Beijing this summer. Next semester I already have planned to take classical Chinese and an advanced grammar class. I hope to return this summer to intensive classes again.

For my future study of Chinese history, there are several directions I could take, although I tend to mostly enjoy late nineteenth and twentieth century cultural and social history. I'd really like to research women in sports as part of nation building, gender, national, and modern identity, pop culture of the 1920s, 30s, 40s in China... the list goes on. I have a fascination with how elements of nationalism (such as flags and maps) and the culture of modernity are intertwined and created a historical consciousness in people's minds. I'm also curious as to how feminism is part of modernity -- as in, it didn't really exist prior to the modern world, why? Other topics that interest me: early nationalist writings (especially the power of student movements and overseas Chinese, and their writings on women), the prison system in early twentieth center China (especially when Communists created support networks within them--did being in prisons together strengthen them?), and the extent to which elements of mass and pop culture created people's sense of identity in relation to each other, in relation to the nation as whole, and in relation to those outside the nation ("the other").

What I Do... Play
In my spare time, I mostly train for triathlons, duathlons, running, and cycling events. It all started in 2003 when someone at the gym asked if I wanted to do a triathlon - I thought sure, why not? I can't swim, I don't own a bike, and I only started to run a few months ago... but anything's possible. Since then, I've completed several Olympic distance tris, a half-ironman, smaller tris and dus, competed in Du Worlds, done two marathons, and a handful of other running races. If you're more curious about any of this, you can read the biography and race reports (with times) that have been posted on my page on the Reston Area Triathletes website.

These days, I enjoy long runs (at least 10 miles), long bike rides (at least 50 miles), and occasionally I even enjoy swimming, although getting in the pool during the cold winter months is difficult. I sometimes train with a group at the gym, all of whom are very supportive and make great workout buddies. I run with my dad at least once a week and we do running races together (last year I even got him to do a duathlon with me!). I also train with local groups (Reston Area Triathletes, Capital Area Triathletes, Whole Wheel Velo Club) but mostly I do whatever's convenient, which usually means on my own. I often find the solitude on runs refreshing -- I have written some of my best papers for class and work in while running (I just hope to never forget everything by the time I return home!). I've also attended a core class (that's abs, back, glutes and hams) at the gym for two years. I saw an overall improvement in biking and running this year and I attribute a lot of it to that class. It's too bad my swimming is still sub-par. When I have a totally free weekend (rare) I also like to go hiking or mountain biking. Basically I just like to be outdoors and doing something active.

What I Do... Other
I really like to spend my time either traveling and/or doing nerdy stuff (depending on what you consider nerdy). When I travel anywhere, I love to visit the sites of a place -- especially if they are outdoor and/or historical, try new foods, go to cultural events, etc. I especially like adventurous places, which is why China is always a fun trip for me. In the future I hope to get to South America (Macchu Picchu especially), the Galapagos islands, New Zealand, Russia, and some day Africa (Morrocco, Egypt, South Africa, Kenya). Some day I'll also make a return journey to France et peut-etre je peux prendre les classes pour souvenir la langue que j'ai presque oublie.

During a normal week, if there's a choice between going to see a new movie that's out or surfing the web and watching a documentary, I'd do the second without giving the first much thought. I also enjoy reading quite a bit, and if I'm not reading something about history (or about China) or trying to practice my reading in Chinese, I'm usually reading an online journal, a newspaper, or a magazine. If I have a totally free day and the weather stinks outside, I'm likely to be found in a quiet spot at home or at a bookstore reading or surfing the web. Working at the Center for History and New Media has made me more aware of what's online in terms of history websites and I find myself obsessed with images, exhibits, and objects I've never seen before online. There are some fantastic websites for Chinese history (will post in my links section soon) on propaganda posters, old images of Shanghai, postcards from the late nineteenth and early twentieth century in French, etc. It makes me realize how many possibilities there are for history and the future of research online, especially in a field like Chinese history.