Thaddeus profile picture

Thaddeus

I am here for Friends

About Me

I'm a computer programmer (Linux! I don't do Windows). I enjoy sea kayaking, backpacking, hiking, cycling, staying in shape, cooking, dry wines, single malt scotch, good bourbon, reading, and history (esp. the Civil War). I've two boys in college and am now living on my own. I'm politically liberal although my views on criminal justice might make Vlad Tepes look like a social worker. Although liberal, I'm an ex-parachute infantry officer with many friends and family in or retired from the service.

My Interests

Hiking, backpacking, sea kayaking, cycling, history, American Civil War, travel, staying fit, reading, creative writing, movies, plays, Scrabble, fine dining, cooking, dry wines, single malt scotch, good bourbon, Indian food, Thai food, Korea, maps/mapping, Linux, Java, XML, AI

I'd like to meet:

Local partners for hiking, backpacking, sea kayaking, or cycling. I also love to walk Civil War battlefields (need a battlefield guide?).

Anyone want to join me on a bike trip of the C&O Canal towpath ? It's 184 miles over 3 days, from Cumberland, MD to Georgetown, DC. I won't be roughing it but staying in hotels along the way, in Hancock, MD and Harper's Ferry, WV. I'm not sure just when I'll make this trek (life keeps interfering with my plans), but I'd love to have company. If you are interested, please contact me. If you live close, maybe we can train for this together.

Music:

Bruce Springsteen, Johnny Cash, Meatloaf, Rod Stewart, Rolling Stones, Fountains of Wayne, Tift Merritt, Dixie Chicks, Diana Krall, Jackson Browne, Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, Ray Charles, Indigo Girls

Movies:

Gone With the Wind, Casablanca, It Happened One Night, High Noon, Arsenic and Old Lace, Saving Private Ryan, Dogma, Oh Brother Where Art Thou?, A Soldier's Story, The Ladykillers, Gettysburg, Pirates of the Caribbean, Capote, Good Night and Good Luck, indie stuff

Television:

Monk, PBS, Band of Brothers, The Daily Show, The Simpsons

Books:

Cold Mountain, Undaunted Courage, Blackhawk Down, We Were Soldiers Once, The Wind and the Willows, Sherlock Holmes, Robert Crais, Janet Evanovich, Raymond Chandler, Michael Connelly, John Steinbeck, William Faulkner, Bernard Cornwell

Heroes:

My dad, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., U.S. Grant, William T. Sherman, George Washington, Meriwether Lewis

My Blog

The Gospel According to Dickens

This Sunday, December 3rd, marks the first Sunday of Advent. My Christian views being fairly non-catholic, I do not pay much attention to the liturgical calendar, but Christmas is a hard season to ig...
Posted by Thaddeus on Sat, 02 Dec 2006 10:49:00 PST

Veteran's Day

Suicide in the TrenchesSiegfried Sassoon (1886-1967)I knew a simple soldier boyWho grinned at life in empty joy, Slept soundly through the lonesome dark, And whistled early with the lark. In winter ...
Posted by Thaddeus on Fri, 10 Nov 2006 09:49:00 PST

And we wonder why we get the government we get

Of course we should be wary of cultural stereotypes, but this morning I had one of those reinforcing moments. Walking out of the polling place ahead of me was a middle age fellow in overalls, wool pl...
Posted by Thaddeus on Tue, 07 Nov 2006 10:23:00 PST

That Old Wheel

That Old Wheel (Pierce)Johnny Cash & Hank Williams(Chorus) That old wheel is gonna roll around once moreWhen it does, it will even up the scoreDon't be weak: as they sew, they will reapTurn the other ...
Posted by Thaddeus on Sat, 02 Sep 2006 09:19:00 PST

If You Could Read My Mind

If You Could Read My Mind -- lyrics by Gordon LightfootIf you could read my mind loveWhat a tale my thoughts could tellJust like an old time movie'bout a ghost from a wishing wellIn a castle dark or a...
Posted by Thaddeus on Tue, 15 Aug 2006 06:45:00 PST

The Blah, Blah, Blahgosphere

The Blah, Blah, BlahgosphereIt takes a village to write commentaryBy Joel AchenbachThe Washington PostSunday, July 2, 2006; Page W11In the news media there is much talk of "interactivity," of breaking...
Posted by Thaddeus on Mon, 03 Jul 2006 07:37:00 PST

Saving Oneself

Burden Of Freedomby Kris KristoffersonI stand on the stairway, my back to the dungeonThe doorway to freedom so close to my handVoices behind me still bitterly damn meFor seeking salvation they don't u...
Posted by Thaddeus on Wed, 10 May 2006 08:45:00 PST

It's over...

"Nobody Wins"by Kris KristoffersonAny more it doesn't matterWho's right or wrongWe've been injuring each otherFor much too longAnd it's too late to try to saveWhat might have beenIt's overNobody winsM...
Posted by Thaddeus on Wed, 05 Apr 2006 08:09:00 PST

Tagged!!

Donna tagged me, so blame her.The first player of this game starts with the "6 weird/things/habits about yourself" and people who get tagged need to write a blog of their 6 weird habits/things, as wel...
Posted by Thaddeus on Fri, 24 Mar 2006 10:07:00 PST

Meet Me In Heaven

This song came on during my morning workout yesterday. I started crying and almost dropped a dumbbell (I think I twisted something in my left arm). And this morning I inadvertently had that CD in my...
Posted by Thaddeus on Fri, 24 Mar 2006 07:53:00 PST