Well this reply kind of 'ends' my own self ban but I can offer up the reason I chose to do so. And it has to do with what a lot of has been mentioned. I have the addictive personality that many of us appear to share...I'm 3 1/2 years sober from alcohol...5 years sober from habitual pot smoking. And that type of mentality and personality once introduced to the online world translated and manifested itself into me spending a lot of time on forums, mainly DTF and the purple place.
Don't get me wrong I enjoy(ed) it and want(ed) to participate...especially here at the DTF, the majority of the guys/gals here are pretty cool to converse with and the sense of community is very addictive in it's own. But I realized that the OCD in me was causing me to do what a few of you have mentioned...the constant refreshing and checking on threads I participated in...I mean over and over within minutes or even seconds of one another. Even with Facebook I was on that thing with my mobile phone non stop refreshing constantly to see if some chick I hadn't spoke to since high school had updated recently to let us know that she had gotten her afternoon laundry done or that she is so over the drama.
And in my previous job I had the luxury of being able to churn out quality work while participating on the forums but the job I took about 6 months ago is quite different than that so in a way that was my methadone. I just don't have the time during the day now to participate. I mean, I PM'd TempusVox and asked him to delete my account totally because that's just how I do things. I had the Mod's over at the purple place delete my account and Barry you and a couple others here can probably recall I was pretty active there before the whol 'split' and craziness hit. My Facebook page is gone...basically I ended my online existance because it was just eating up too much of my time. All of which I suppose I could 'control'...but I couldn't control it.
I cold turkey quit cigaretts and chewing tobacco 11 years ago and did the same with the weed and liquor. It really is extremes with me...so I essentially did the same thing with my online life. Thankfully Tempus messaged me back and told me he wouldn't delete my account that he didn't like to do that because I do still like the fact if I want to I can participate....like now. I 'lurk' non stop here and read stuff but until now hadn't really been compelled to participate but this seemed to be something that I could lend an opinion to.
One more thing...Just to clarify, I don't think it's a 'bad' thing if someone spends a lot of time here or on other forums or online for that matter. I don't want to make it sound like people who choose to do so are 'wrong' or something like that. That's not the case at all. But for me personally at this point in my life I have three young kids...6,5 and 2 1/2....and any of my spare time needs to be dedicated to them and my wife. And there were instances where I was on here typing or participating in a thread full well knowing I could be doing something with the family instead. Plus, this 'new' job of mine is very inspiring and has really churned up a refreshed spirit within me to strive for success rather than just be content 'getting by' so my focus and energy has been on my career.
I Hope that contributed a bit..sorry it was a bit long and rambling. I do miss the online comradarie....maybe I should cultivate a more tempered DTF participation method and make an appearance every now and then just to say hi....because I'll be honest, I freakin' miss playing the Random Caption game like you wouldn't believe! Now I'll be off to refresh this thread 4 times a minute for the rest of the night.....thanks alot Barry