I have to admit that I don't remember your username...

But anyway, welcome back!

I just got back from an Italian vacation, and there are photo threads in my Journal, if you're interested.

Same name and everything!

I often wonder where people on DU come from and where do they go? I mean, people who have been on and then just fade away or people who were prolific posters who just disappear, not pizza'd, but just stop posting and then come back? Where have you been? What made you stop posting?

For the amount of time I have been here, I don't have as many posts as some. I think I began to post more in the last two years or so, but I have checked in at least once a week since I've been a member.

Then there are people who just joined who manage to rack up thousands of posts in a short time. Where were they before they became DU regulars?

Work was out of control for me but I made the decision to slow down this year so I am enjoying my online time a little more than usual.

I joined in 2005 after finding DU through searching for liberal stuff online. At the point I started to post and posted off and on for some months but the site didn't really hook me. I like political discussions and have strong views but politics alone is not enough to sustain a forum life for me. At the time I was also still posting a lot in the AnandTech Off Topic forum. Slowly my posts here faded away and I continued to post at AnandTech. Eventually I hit 10+ years at AnandTech and 20,000+ posts. But that place became more and more mean spirited toward me over the years due in large part to my own posts. I revealed too much about by emotional issues and sought refuge there but was often torn a new one by ass holes for doing so. It eventually became a very unhealthy place for me and so I left, around the same time I was having a nervous breakdown. I didn't post anywhere for some months. During all this I would make the occasional post here off and on. One day after dropping AnandTech I posted some stuff in the Lounge here and decided, hay this is a MUCH nicer place than that, maybe I should set up shop here a bit. And I've been posting regularly since.

That's exactly what I was talking about. Thanks for taking the time to answer.

People come and go but I think most here are very nice. I hope you stick around!