11/22/2017 11:50:05 AM: I am an Appalachian I am an Appalachian no matter where I may be living at any point in time. If we are going to interact, you must understand that. Hopefully this will help. These are a part of who I am and always will be. 1. Individualism, Self-Reliance, Pride - most obvious characteristics; necessary on the early frontier; look after oneself; freedom; do things for oneself; not wanting to be beholding to others; 2. Religion - values and meaning to life spring from religious sources; 3. Neighborliness and Hospitality - help each other out 4. Family Solidarity or Familism - family centered; loyalty runs deep; responsibility may extend beyond immediate family; 'blood is thicker than water' 5. Personalism - relates well to others; go to great lengths to keep from offending others; getting along is more important than letting one's feelings be known; think in terms of persons rather than degrees or professional reputations 6. Love of Place - never forget 'back home' and go there as often as possible; revitalizing, especially if a migrant; sometimes stay in places where there is no hope of maintaining decent lives 7. Modesty and Being Oneself - believe one should not put on airs; be oneself, not a phony; don't pretend to be something you're not or be boastful; don't get above your raising 8. Sense of Beauty - displayed through folksongs, poems, arts, crafts, etc., colorful language metaphors, e.g. 'I'm as nervous as a long-tailed cat in a roomful of rocking chairs.' 9. Sense of Humor - seem dour, but laugh at ourselves; do not appreciate being laughed at; humor sustains people in hard times 10. Patriotism - goes back to Civil War times; flag, land, relationships are important; shows up in community celebration and festivals (Adapted from: Appalachian Values by Loyal Jones. The Jesse Stuart Foundation, 1994.)

11/19/2017 4:17:44 AM: I am new to the kink community here and nowhere near as active as I would like to be. The biggest obstacles to changing that are schedule conflicts and the fact that I am a day person with almost no tolerance for smoking/vaping. Most of the local events are late at night with a lot of smoking. That is important background for me to share but not the purpose of this writing. While I am new here, I am not new to the quest to become actively involved in kink in either an individual or group setting. I have been searching for a very long time online, but  I don’t have a problem. I am the problem. Every time I get into a situation that has potential to be a satisfying experience, I make some mistake of omission or commission that causes others to push me away. I have never broken off a conversation or relationship with a potential kink partner, but many have broken off with me. Therefore, I know that the problem must be me. I just don’t know what I’m doing wrong. I’ve asked a few, but none could or would tell me – at least not in a way the helps me. They say “chemistry,” but in relationships, that’s abstract, and I don’t deal with abstracts worth a darn. I know how I want others to see me, especially at events. Since I don’t know who is open to talking or playing with the “new old guy,” I want people to see me as someone who is tired of being on the sidelines and wants to get into the game both in terms of friendship and play. I keep to myself, not because I want to, but because I don’t want to say or do something that will make me unwelcome. Watching and not participating stinks, but it beats not being able to attend.I know what I want to do. In no particular order, I want to: Let people know that not only am I approachable but that I WANT to be approached, that I’m not shy nor unfriendly – just overly cautious, that I am not very passionate at the moment because I’ve been shot down too many times but want my passions stirred – a lotDom and be DommedBind ladies and be bound by themMake new friends, real friends who will love and protect me and let me love and protect themGive and receive a laundry list of torturesFeel welcome and eventually become a person who takes responsibility for welcoming othersSpend a weekend or longer spontaneously switching between being a top and a bottom and doing whatever kinky thing my partner and I decide to do at the momentBe a person whom people think of when they want pictures taken – vanilla or kinkDom two or more ladies at the same timeHug and be huggedBe a shoulder for someone to cry on and have a shoulder to cry onLaugh, smile, and be myself and leave no doubt in others’ minds that they can do the same around meUnderstand and be understoodFind a long-term partnerBe able to attend any event and not feel that I have to walk on eggshells and/or prove myself (Yes, I do feel that way now, especially when it comes to rope.)