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TRUERockyTop
| Favorite team: | Tennessee  |
| Location: | Appalachia |
| Biography: | |
| Interests: | VOLS & STEELERS |
| Occupation: | |
| Number of Posts: | 16871 |
| Registered on: | 9/13/2011 |
| Online Status: | Not Online |
Recent Posts
Message
re: You Vets that were stationed in Europe for an extended amount of time I have a question.
Posted by TRUERockyTop on 4/6/26 at 6:53 pm to RollingwiththeTide
Germany is packed full of beautiful women. Mostly Germans, but tons of other beautiful Western & Eastern European women. To add to that, being an American soldier over there was like hitting the lotto in that you got bonus points for being a foreigner, but specifically an American. Additional points for being in the Military. Every friend I had, to include myself, that got serious with a German girl out kicked their coverage and married girls that would have never looked twice at us stateside :lol:
If you were single & didn't out kick your coverage out there you did something seriously wrong. If you could make them laugh, it was game set match.
If you were single & didn't out kick your coverage out there you did something seriously wrong. If you could make them laugh, it was game set match.
2
re: You Vets that were stationed in Europe for an extended amount of time I have a question.
Posted by TRUERockyTop on 4/6/26 at 6:43 pm to Centinel
The Neckar during the summer was incredible. Same thing with the Rhein. We spent a ton of time catching sunrays and day drinking in the grass along the river. One of the cool perks about marrying a girl from Heidelberg was getting to know all the local spots & activities to get the authentic German experience.
Did you guys ever go to O'Reillys pub across the river? It was one of the first buildings to the right as soon as you crossed the bridge from downtown. Right where the stairs were so you could access the river. I loved that spot. A lot of the Americans would go to The Dubliner on the hauptstr. but O'Reillys was where it was at.
I was only able to catch a Eurocup while I was stationed out there, but I've been back post Army for a Worldcup and it's absolutely something every person should get to experience. I can still picture everyone walking through the city drinking with their countries flag tied around them like a cape :lol: -- Peak experience
Did you guys ever go to O'Reillys pub across the river? It was one of the first buildings to the right as soon as you crossed the bridge from downtown. Right where the stairs were so you could access the river. I loved that spot. A lot of the Americans would go to The Dubliner on the hauptstr. but O'Reillys was where it was at.
I was only able to catch a Eurocup while I was stationed out there, but I've been back post Army for a Worldcup and it's absolutely something every person should get to experience. I can still picture everyone walking through the city drinking with their countries flag tied around them like a cape :lol: -- Peak experience
re: You Vets that were stationed in Europe for an extended amount of time I have a question.
Posted by TRUERockyTop on 4/6/26 at 6:18 pm to Centinel
You're bringing back some nostalgia
Mannheim was a dump relative to Heidelberg, but we had some amazing times there. When we closed down Coleman and moved to Weisbaden, I held out as long as I could and commuted from Heidelberg to Weisbaden for 6+ months before the drive wore me down and I finally gave in and got housing.
Wiesbaden was another fun city, but I don't think anything will compare to Heidelberg for me. Especially bouncing between the hauptstrasse and untere str. on a summer night. I know you know what I'm talking about :lol:
Mannheim was a dump relative to Heidelberg, but we had some amazing times there. When we closed down Coleman and moved to Weisbaden, I held out as long as I could and commuted from Heidelberg to Weisbaden for 6+ months before the drive wore me down and I finally gave in and got housing.
Wiesbaden was another fun city, but I don't think anything will compare to Heidelberg for me. Especially bouncing between the hauptstrasse and untere str. on a summer night. I know you know what I'm talking about :lol:
re: You Vets that were stationed in Europe for an extended amount of time I have a question.
Posted by TRUERockyTop on 4/6/26 at 6:00 pm to Centinel
We had a little flat over off Schmitthennerstrausse (I don't miss pronouncing that) in Kirchheim. We got married at St. Peter's Catholic church right around the corner from our flat so that area will always hold a special place for me. We also stayed off of Langgarten St. right by the train station that divided Kirchheim & Rohrbach.
Those were some of the best times of my life. We're heading back to Kirchheim this summer to visit family and I can't wait.
Those were some of the best times of my life. We're heading back to Kirchheim this summer to visit family and I can't wait.
re: You Vets that were stationed in Europe for an extended amount of time I have a question.
Posted by TRUERockyTop on 4/6/26 at 5:47 pm to RollingwiththeTide
I was part of the last group that closed down Coleman Army Airfield (Mannheim) and can attest that us leaving had very little impact on the local economy.
I guarantee the number of fist fights between Americans and Turks dropped significantly though since we didn't have to walk through Schonau to catch the Strauss to downtown anymore though :lol:
Mannheims metro population was too large to feel the impact of the handful of units we had left pulling out. We had been slowly down sizing our personnel numbers on the surrounding housing installations for years prior so it was a gradual transition. Towards the end, most of the NCOs and Officers all lived in Heidelberg and commuted to Mannheim. After we left, the installation was turned over to the German housing authority who had plans to turn it into affordable housing. I don't know if that ever came to fruition, but thats what was being discussed at rhe time. The next time I'm visiting I need to go check out what they've done with the place.
I lived in Heidelberg with my then girlfriend / now wife while having my barracks room on CAAF and would spend my time split between the two cities. In my opinion, Heidelberg as a whole felt us pulling out more than Mannheim, but the shift was more cultural than fiscal.
The Army played a big part in Heidelberg's history post WW2 and you could find a touch of Americana intertwined into the local area. Lots of mixed American/German families in the area. Many of which stayed after the soldiers got out. The city as a whole probably didn't suffer too much from lost revenue, but the small suburbs of Heidelberg where the base and housing installations were located definitely did. I spoke with several restaurant and shop owners who were within a couple miles of the installations (Think Patrick Henry Village, etc.) who mentioned their revenue was down significantly after we left. More than anything, the locals had become accustomed to the large presence we had there for decades and were saddened that we were leaving. Especially the older generation who grew up alongside the installations after the war ended.
As others have mentioned - The Ramstein / Landstuhl / K town area would be hit pretty hard economically if I had to guess. Maybe Graf just due to our overall numbers (or atleast what I remember of them) in what's a very rural area, but it's hard to invision much more than that.
I guarantee the number of fist fights between Americans and Turks dropped significantly though since we didn't have to walk through Schonau to catch the Strauss to downtown anymore though :lol:
Mannheims metro population was too large to feel the impact of the handful of units we had left pulling out. We had been slowly down sizing our personnel numbers on the surrounding housing installations for years prior so it was a gradual transition. Towards the end, most of the NCOs and Officers all lived in Heidelberg and commuted to Mannheim. After we left, the installation was turned over to the German housing authority who had plans to turn it into affordable housing. I don't know if that ever came to fruition, but thats what was being discussed at rhe time. The next time I'm visiting I need to go check out what they've done with the place.
I lived in Heidelberg with my then girlfriend / now wife while having my barracks room on CAAF and would spend my time split between the two cities. In my opinion, Heidelberg as a whole felt us pulling out more than Mannheim, but the shift was more cultural than fiscal.
The Army played a big part in Heidelberg's history post WW2 and you could find a touch of Americana intertwined into the local area. Lots of mixed American/German families in the area. Many of which stayed after the soldiers got out. The city as a whole probably didn't suffer too much from lost revenue, but the small suburbs of Heidelberg where the base and housing installations were located definitely did. I spoke with several restaurant and shop owners who were within a couple miles of the installations (Think Patrick Henry Village, etc.) who mentioned their revenue was down significantly after we left. More than anything, the locals had become accustomed to the large presence we had there for decades and were saddened that we were leaving. Especially the older generation who grew up alongside the installations after the war ended.
As others have mentioned - The Ramstein / Landstuhl / K town area would be hit pretty hard economically if I had to guess. Maybe Graf just due to our overall numbers (or atleast what I remember of them) in what's a very rural area, but it's hard to invision much more than that.
re: Personal Protection Piece
Posted by TRUERockyTop on 3/28/26 at 1:12 am to SaintsReportExile
Glock 45 for the full size frame with the compact slide
re: LSU Basketball Head Coaches' Winning %
Posted by TRUERockyTop on 3/25/26 at 3:11 pm to Jebadeb
So your most successful MBB coach since 1972 (by winning %) had 1 25+ win season & a single Sweet 16 appearance in 5 years.
:lol:
:lol:
re: Tennessee is a win away from hanging a banner!!
Posted by TRUERockyTop on 3/20/26 at 6:30 pm to GetPiggywithIt
quote:
the Sweet 16 banner is yours.
This coming from a fan of a program who went on a recent 25 year drought with 0 S16 appearances. And only have a total of 4 S16 appearances over the last 30 years. You've been a bottom third to middle of the pack SEC program this century.
Bonus points: Arkansas has an all time losing record to Tennessee & Calipari has an all time losing record to Rick Barnes.
Arkansas basketball in their own minds:
Arkansas basketball to the rest of the country:
re: Regular Season Rick Petitioning for a New Nickname
Posted by TRUERockyTop on 3/20/26 at 5:38 pm to AlterEd
This would've been wittier if he hadn't made back to back Elite 8s the last 2 seasons.
re: What are some accounts that you wish would return?
Posted by TRUERockyTop on 2/26/26 at 12:46 pm to Landmass
Vols&Shaft
RobertGoulet
InVolnerable
DavidRicky
NorthGAVol
PhatPhil
RobertGoulet
InVolnerable
DavidRicky
NorthGAVol
PhatPhil
re: What are some accounts that you wish would return?
Posted by TRUERockyTop on 2/26/26 at 12:45 pm to Landmass
Vols&Shaft
RobertGoulet
InVolnerable
DavidRicky
NorthGAVol
RobertGoulet
InVolnerable
DavidRicky
NorthGAVol
re: Career change to IT
Posted by TRUERockyTop on 2/15/26 at 10:25 pm to DoubleDown
Tldr incoming, but I hope it helps a little bit.
This. At minimum you'll want to try and find a Desktop Support or Infrastructure Support role if you completely get out of finance. Like another poster mentioned, if you can blend your financial experience with software and find a niche so you don't have to start over from scratch that would be ideal. If you do start from scratch, try to start past an entry level Helpdesk position given your age, family size and financial obligations.
At the most basic level - IT is divided into two broad buckets. Software & Infrastructure. There's a million different roles within each of those buckets.
I started on the Infrastructure side with roles like Desktop Support, Infrastructure Support & Jr. Systems Admin from the time I was 20 until my late 20s. I was then offered a QA Analyst role in our QA Dept and transitioned to the software side of the house. I did QA work for 1 year and soaked up as much as I could on the software side of IT. I got lucky & networked with my former companies Salesforce team after QA'ing one of their big projects. They offered me a Salesforce Admin position where I did that for 6 years. Fast forward another 2 years & I'm managing a Go To Market stack for a software company where I admin/manage our CRM, Telephony, Scheduling, Sequencing, Lead routing software, etc for multiple sales teams. All from starting at a Desktop role. I'm sure a lot of the guys without and maybe with degrees have similar stories
I say all that to say this - if you do start over, give yourself time to learn as much as you can about the various specialities under the IT umbrella. Remind yourself that these entry-mid level roles are just you paying your dues along your way until you figure out what you want to do. Come up with a game plan for a position that you think you'll enjoy and is going to pay a salary that will allow you to give your family a good life. Then aggressively go after it. There are amazing earning opportunities within IT with the right roles. Overtime and after exposure, you'll find that you'll gravitate towards specific specialties. If you can find a niche within IT (believe me, you can and will with enough time) that has a mix of what you're good at and what you enjoy (relative) that's of course the sweet spot. Don't be afraid to explore different areas after you have some equity built up with what ever company gives you a shot.
Don't forget that there are tons of non building/configuring/developing roles within IT that pay well too. Roles like Business Analysts, Scrum Masters, Quality Assurance Analysts, Financial/Revenue Operations Analysts, Change management, Coordinators, Project managers, etc. that are vital for Software & Infrastructure teams to function. That's on top of the Admins, Devs, Engineers and Architects that do the heavy lifting. If you're looking to go on the Infrastructure side, you're probably going to want to shoot for a System Administrator, Server Admin, Network Admin/Engineer, Security Analyst/Engineer, Cloud Engineer, etc. type role. All of the positions listed above are going to pay well and give you a comfortable life, but you're typically going to have to pay your dues before you get offered them just like any other industry. Good luck my friend
quote:
I would not go help desk. Those jobs suck, barely pay money and you work a lot of hours dealing with grumpy people and their problems.
This. At minimum you'll want to try and find a Desktop Support or Infrastructure Support role if you completely get out of finance. Like another poster mentioned, if you can blend your financial experience with software and find a niche so you don't have to start over from scratch that would be ideal. If you do start from scratch, try to start past an entry level Helpdesk position given your age, family size and financial obligations.
At the most basic level - IT is divided into two broad buckets. Software & Infrastructure. There's a million different roles within each of those buckets.
I started on the Infrastructure side with roles like Desktop Support, Infrastructure Support & Jr. Systems Admin from the time I was 20 until my late 20s. I was then offered a QA Analyst role in our QA Dept and transitioned to the software side of the house. I did QA work for 1 year and soaked up as much as I could on the software side of IT. I got lucky & networked with my former companies Salesforce team after QA'ing one of their big projects. They offered me a Salesforce Admin position where I did that for 6 years. Fast forward another 2 years & I'm managing a Go To Market stack for a software company where I admin/manage our CRM, Telephony, Scheduling, Sequencing, Lead routing software, etc for multiple sales teams. All from starting at a Desktop role. I'm sure a lot of the guys without and maybe with degrees have similar stories
I say all that to say this - if you do start over, give yourself time to learn as much as you can about the various specialities under the IT umbrella. Remind yourself that these entry-mid level roles are just you paying your dues along your way until you figure out what you want to do. Come up with a game plan for a position that you think you'll enjoy and is going to pay a salary that will allow you to give your family a good life. Then aggressively go after it. There are amazing earning opportunities within IT with the right roles. Overtime and after exposure, you'll find that you'll gravitate towards specific specialties. If you can find a niche within IT (believe me, you can and will with enough time) that has a mix of what you're good at and what you enjoy (relative) that's of course the sweet spot. Don't be afraid to explore different areas after you have some equity built up with what ever company gives you a shot.
Don't forget that there are tons of non building/configuring/developing roles within IT that pay well too. Roles like Business Analysts, Scrum Masters, Quality Assurance Analysts, Financial/Revenue Operations Analysts, Change management, Coordinators, Project managers, etc. that are vital for Software & Infrastructure teams to function. That's on top of the Admins, Devs, Engineers and Architects that do the heavy lifting. If you're looking to go on the Infrastructure side, you're probably going to want to shoot for a System Administrator, Server Admin, Network Admin/Engineer, Security Analyst/Engineer, Cloud Engineer, etc. type role. All of the positions listed above are going to pay well and give you a comfortable life, but you're typically going to have to pay your dues before you get offered them just like any other industry. Good luck my friend
re: Any athletic parents with unathletic children?
Posted by TRUERockyTop on 2/14/26 at 10:23 pm to ApisMellifera
Thanks brother :cheers:
re: Any athletic parents with unathletic children?
Posted by TRUERockyTop on 2/14/26 at 9:53 pm to ApisMellifera
I appreciate the kind words.
That's awesome to hear. This is exactly where we are with sports. His mother and I want both of the kids to be active and moving. In this world where children are consuming screen time at unhealthy levels - we want them to have a balance. That's awesome to hear you bring up golf. He's mentioned it multiple times over the last year and at first we thought it was just a fad, but he's been consistent in wanting to give it a shot. My wife and I are talking about surprising him with lessons. We've got a golf course less than half a mile from the house which would be great for him to grow up at if that's what he enjoys.
For those saying we are trying to force him to live through us. I get it, but that's also not the full picture. He's in the Beta club / future leaders club at school & is a straight A student and has been since Kindergarten. We have tried to really set the precedent with both of our children at how important both intelligence and emotional intelligence are. I have done my best to encourage them with confidence through intelligence and let them know how important that is in life. I'm very proud of him for what he's been able to do academically. He also just started working out with me in the gym on his own volition and loves to play video games. I probably game with him more than his friends. I do my best to be a very involved Father and do everything I can to spend time with him and try and guide him. I'm human though and didn't think kids sports would be something I got hung up on. I'm learning though and doing my best to adapt as I go.
quote:
Btw, my wife and I have always taken the position that the kids need to do 1 sport/physical activity. My oldest bounced around from baseball and soccer but it was the same story with yours. This past fall, we put him into golf lessons and he enjoyed the hell out of it so you could give that a try. Look up Operation 36.
That's awesome to hear. This is exactly where we are with sports. His mother and I want both of the kids to be active and moving. In this world where children are consuming screen time at unhealthy levels - we want them to have a balance. That's awesome to hear you bring up golf. He's mentioned it multiple times over the last year and at first we thought it was just a fad, but he's been consistent in wanting to give it a shot. My wife and I are talking about surprising him with lessons. We've got a golf course less than half a mile from the house which would be great for him to grow up at if that's what he enjoys.
For those saying we are trying to force him to live through us. I get it, but that's also not the full picture. He's in the Beta club / future leaders club at school & is a straight A student and has been since Kindergarten. We have tried to really set the precedent with both of our children at how important both intelligence and emotional intelligence are. I have done my best to encourage them with confidence through intelligence and let them know how important that is in life. I'm very proud of him for what he's been able to do academically. He also just started working out with me in the gym on his own volition and loves to play video games. I probably game with him more than his friends. I do my best to be a very involved Father and do everything I can to spend time with him and try and guide him. I'm human though and didn't think kids sports would be something I got hung up on. I'm learning though and doing my best to adapt as I go.
re: Any athletic parents with unathletic children?
Posted by TRUERockyTop on 2/14/26 at 9:27 pm to Da #1 Stunna
Well said. Thanks for the wisdom and insight
re: Any athletic parents with unathletic children?
Posted by TRUERockyTop on 2/14/26 at 4:27 pm to SuperSaint
quote:
have you done a paternity test yet
He's my clone. There's no doubting he's mine :lol:
re: Any athletic parents with unathletic children?
Posted by TRUERockyTop on 2/14/26 at 4:07 pm to Sofaking2
quote:
My experience with dads who pushed their kids a lot in sports was the dads were frustrated athletes. They never reached their own potential and wanted to force it on their kids. I was a very good athlete in my chosen sport and did everything I wanted to do. I never felt the need to force it on my kids. We would practice a lot too but it wasn’t a source of frustration, lol. I enjoyed it.
There's some truth to what you said as a general statement but I can honestly say that I'm not anything close to "that" dad that we all know/knew. I don't ever yell at the games or go crazy in the crowd for either good or bad situations. He gets constructive feedback, but never anything that tears him down. If anything I build him up more than my daughter because I know he needs that more than she does. I'm his biggest supporter and I love on him hard. He's just my more sensitive and intelligent child like another poster mentioned and I'm learning how to navigate that.
I will say he's started to workout with me lately (he asked - I'm not making him) and he seems to really enjoy it. That's been a great experience for us
re: Any athletic parents with unathletic children?
Posted by TRUERockyTop on 2/14/26 at 3:36 pm to Everyday Is Saturday
Thank you. There's been a lot of good advice in here. Appreciate you guys
re: Any athletic parents with unathletic children?
Posted by TRUERockyTop on 2/14/26 at 3:25 pm to onelochevy
quote:
Takes longer for some kids to find the desire. Went through that with my 11 year old. He's wrestled for 6 years now and this year is the first time I really see him dedicating himself to being a good wrestler, as opposed to someone who just likes to say they wrestle.
His 8yr old brother is the opposite. He don't give a shite who's he's wrestling, he's gonna come at you like a tasmanian devil.
This is the same situation with our two minus the desire finding it's way to the oldest.
re: Any athletic parents with unathletic children?
Posted by TRUERockyTop on 2/14/26 at 3:22 pm to Ponchy Tiger
He's 11.
And for the Fishing is a sport guys - he does love to fish :lol:
And for the Fishing is a sport guys - he does love to fish :lol:
re: Any athletic parents with unathletic children?
Posted by TRUERockyTop on 2/14/26 at 3:08 pm to tiger rag 93
quote:
Sounds like he needed a better father figure growing up. Sorry you raised a sissy, baw.
There's probably some truth in that. My daughter's a warrior though and fearless to a fault. She loves sports, she's a fierce competetitor, shoots guns with me, loves to be outside & active. She's confident in herself. It's like a 180 from my son who enjoys those things as well - just not as much. I don't know. It's got me scratching my head at how different they are. I wouldn't change anything about their spirit and I'd obviously die for them 1000 life times in a row. I think I need to temper my expectations and like KYwildcatfan said - realize this just isn't his thing and that's OK. The sky's the limit for him in life. I need to just have a reality check with myself and realize sports might not be for him. I think that's what I'm realizing as I type all of this out.
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