Welcome back!
stratics pooped the bed a couple months ago and everyone had to re-register. you can recover your old name and post count, but i dont remember how.
you may wanna look at uo.com too, they added some plant stuff i am sure your gonna be excited to read about! that is if you havent already.
as for not seeing anyone you know, well, i know a few (including myself) have left the game recently. some due to the bannings and the bs that came with it, others for their own reasons.
I still log in sometimes and sit in luna(my acct is pid till nov), and i see pretty much the normal crowd most days, I'm sure once word gets out to your friends that your back, they will come and see you