As most of you probably noticed, or probably didn't notice, I took an extended break from this website, coming back to start up Fantasy Hockey (WOOOO btw, HOCKEY IS BACK). It's funny because I feel like as I get older and older, I find less and less entertainment in this website.

I mean, yeah, it's a good way to pass the time, but when I'm in college I'm almost embarrassed to browse the website, simply because it has such a juvenile vibe, especially when it comes to the forums. I have a lot of respect for the creators of this website, and the Portal is spot on amazing, as a concept and as an implemented idea, but let's face it, the forums are targetted to a specific age group, and once you grow out of that age group (which I have) it's very difficult to lower yourself to the level that is required to be a "successful" poster on the forums.

It's funny because I originally thought that it had just regressed over the years, but in fact, if I look back at my posts, I realize that I was at one point (mostly when I was 15-16) one of those kids that I now find the bane of this website.

This website helped me get through some tough times as a teenager, giving me a place to vent out frustrations, and just fool around, a place to relax and be accepted for whatever I was, as it does for kids now. So for that, I'm very appreciative of the forums. In some ways, I feel like the forums have regressed, not because the maturity level has gotten any worse, it's just because the sheer number of people has grown so much. When I was actively posting, the website usually had 100 people online, tops. On a rare day like when Tom released a new game, we'd see 200-300, but that was like, once a year. Now it's a very common occurence, as NG continues to grow, expand and gain more mainstream exposure.

It just becomes more and more of a challenge to wade (lolpun) through the crap to get those rare diamonds in the rough sort of threads that make me remember why I even bother to log in. Dunno if it's stubborness, not wanting to give up something that was part of my life for so long, or if it's just a hope that things will go back to the days when I enjoyed browsing the forums, actively posting, etc etc.

I guess this is sounding a little emo, but I mean, blogs usually are. But I felt like I needed a new one, and this subject is on my mind often whenever I log in here. Also, being pointed out as an inactive mod didn't help things, it was an eye opener. Don't really know where I'm going with it, so I'm just gonna keep rolling and see when I end up disappearing for good. I'll be sure to let you know. ;)