Thank bound_jenny!
Indeed it feels like an age, i remember your profile picture from about 8 or 9 years go! I remember mine too (two tied feet) they wer'nt my feet, I think I stole it from a search engine back in the day.
I've emailed Anna, its nice to be back. hugs
I'm really sorry for any bad feelings that I may have left on my departure, I'll give a quick run down of events to truly introduce myself again, everyone will hopefully understand who i am, where i came from, and where I went:
So in my mid to late twenties (I'm now 38) I came across this site and registered as a member. back then i think we were no more than a few hundred members, and I posted a LOT. I lived on here, I was "Curious_sb" and this was my spiritual home. I got promoted to moderator very quickly, because, i think, , basically I was on here more than Anna was at the time and I remember helping out with a few server troubles and things. back then, I was a very low level computer technician, with a lot of responsibilty, on a very low salary, and a boss that would top anything from "Horrible Bosses", so i used to practice self bondage to escape from it all, i could zone out and found solitude in being helpless. It was like Zen.
I say helpless, i am a bit of a lightweight and never did any timed releases or anything and never ever went "fully under". anyone who has read the sad news in announcements will understand why. I guess with a more worldly experience i would call myself a "switch" happy to dominate and be a bit submissive too, so the self bondage was mainly limited to lower limbs and maybe one hand or something, just enough to feel helpess but still able to set myself free. It was great because in my head i was the dominant, yet I was also the sub, bit weird I know, but as like minded people, I'm sure you trust me, it works!
Needless to say a singly guy like me used to spend a lot of time on the internet looking at bondage sites for kicks and ideas, and I remember some conversations I had, now i know one of my biggest fears as a "Curious Self Bondager" (hence the curious_sb name) was the prospect of relationships and the "horror" of having to broach the subject. In reality I have a had a few relationships and in none of then did i ever have a problem with bondage, in every case they were already up for it, which was a breath of fresh air for me and released a lot of tension.
Now in one f these conversations Anna had said something to the effect of "the only woman i would ever meet is lady jpeg" now, 8 years on, I can totally laugh at this, as it was so ironically true, I spent wany too much unhealthy time either spent tied up, or on the forums, or scanning for literally hours the usual suspect hogtied and all those sites looking for inspiring bondage pictures. I realized i had been consumed by it all. I left the forums with a view to living my life and having real meaningful relationships and building my career, which is what I have been doing basically. I maybe have left on a sour note, but I was never bitter about it, I was perhaps a little stubborn and immature, but now I've come back I'm more like a 12 year old whiskey, just right. I've practiced self bondage, and partner bondage, something I had never done as the former curious_sb and I have to say I much prefer partner bondage, but self bondage is sometimes needed as a little top up, I'm single again at the moment, but I wouldn't wait so long in future as I think my self bondage was holding me back mentally, from seeking out a relationship. the lady jpeg thing was quite liberating in the end, and I am eternally grateful for the kick up the backside I needed to go make a life for myself.
So what has happened in the 8 - 9 years I have been away? Here are some highlights:
1. I got a city job, with an amazing package, after lots of hard studying and exams
2. I moved out of my parents place, into a bedsit (lodging in someones house)
3. Upgraded from the bedsit to a rented flat, had a few girlfriends, and had some bondage fun with them (and not half the stress I (curious_sb) was making out it would be)
4. Finally got myself a mortgage and a house I could finally call my own (freedom to practice my art in my own space)
5. Upgraded some of my toys which were mainly just ropes from DIY stores, to leather cuffs, which are oh so comfy! (the emabarrasment of having toys delivered to shared residence is always awkward, now I have my own place its cool)
6. Realised I had put off a lot of things I should have done sooner, and realised that its not as big a taboo, and its incredibly liberating to talk about with a partner!
Why am I back?
I really wanted to just see if the site was even up, I mean, its been at least 8 years - a lot changes - I mean, I think google wasnt even the go to search engine, it might have been yahoo! search or geocities, things change and sites rebrand or close, it was really nice to see everything as I left it, familiar avatars, and I found my own, the "two tied feet" (they arent my feet - I think i found them on a search engine). I wondered if I could reset my account, but I couldnt remember my old email address, and its probably long been shut down.
I created this account to get into the forums and see if I could maybe see my old profile and get the email address from there but I had no luck, I would really like to get my old identity back.
I have emailed Anna as I said, so lets see what happens,
I really have missed you all!
Justaguy (Curious by any other name)