User:Jonathan H.J. Brewster

I have lived in a number of places in the U.S., including Chicago, Houston, Brooklyn, Stonybrook (NY), St. Louis, Vista (CA), and Phoenix. I currently live in Tucson, AZ.

I also spent 13 years in Asia residing in South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and China.

I prefer a simple life.

Amateur radio (call sign: AF7M) has been a lifelong hobby and I particularly enjoy using Morse code (CW), low power (QRP) and simple wire antennas.

I also enjoy computers and my operating system of choice is OpenBSD.

When I "drive", I prefer to ride a motorcycle. I currently ride a BMW R1200GS.

I like helping people as a disaster volunteer with the American Red Cross.

During my time in Beijing I had the opportunity to collect some old Chinese charms, amulets and coins.

These charms and amulets were not used as money but rather as "good luck" and game pieces. Since they were not officially minted by the government, they are difficult to date and the quantities cast are unknown.

But, they serve as examples of Chinese popular culture through more than 2,000 years of history. I hope you will enjoy seeing them.

Jonathan H.J. Brewster (my grandmother called me "Skinny Rooster" when I was a little boy)