I just logged for for the first time in about 23 hours. I was greeted by a loss of 9 experience, and 19 messages. Four were in agreement with what I said, the rest called me a whiner.

It's an honest mistake, to believe what I wrote was a cry for help. In actuality, I wrote it because I thought the daylogs were untouched nodes that weren't voted on, guess my 30/-44 rating proves that theory wrong.

Did some people honestly believe I was frustrated because I don't think I receive enough upvotes? What exactly does this voting system give me? Intrinsic value? Just because you don't agree with me doesn't necessarily mean I was writing for my own self-interest.

I thought it was a sort of public scratchpad for expression and release. Wrong about that as well.

Some non-"E2 bashing":
(note: E2 bashing is what my node was commonly referred to in some of those messages I received.) Does anyone here watch sports? Perhaps I can ask you for help on this issue. I used to be a casual sport watcher, during high school summer vacations I'd watch the same 30 minute Sportscenter from 11am to 1pm. I've recently gotten to the point where I can't stand the sight of athletes on television anymore. It's come to my attention that sports are the same thing year after year. With only a change of winning team at the end, and even that isn't always the fact. Where exactly is all this deep-seeded passion for athletics that so many have? What drives their desire to see mostly uneducated men have fun playing a game, while we sit and watch? Aren't sports meant to be played? Why are we wasting our time with such nonsense?

I realize now why I used to watch (and I still keep some tabs on) sports. It's because there's absolutely nothing else for a group of guys to talk about. I watched to simply be part of a conversation, otherwise we'd all be relegated to remarking on "the weather." The weather being the least interesting topic in the world, as we all experience it in the same way. At least with sports there can be some disparity, and we may believe different things. With weather it's either hot, cold, or crappy.

Finally, what is the reason for idolization of all local sports teams? Simply because of the arbitrary fact that you've been raised in one area, requires you to cheer for that team? It makes no sense to me. I admire teams made of players I find interesting. Sports are a business now, and players are traded like any other commodity. Take for example the Red Sox. They're a group of individuals with no team cohesiveness whatsoever. The front office has been an absolute joke for years, with only a recent change in personnel. Yet friends of mine live and die by this team, and hate the Yankees. Both are owned by dispicable individuals, both teams are made up of players that are difficult to view as true role models, and both have exorbitantly high payrolls. So what aspect pits these two teams on opposite ends? Red Sox fans pray for death to be stricken down upon many Yankee players, but juggle this idea for a moment. Theoretically, imagine every player on the Red Sox was traded for each player on the Yankees. Who would you cheer for then? Would your interests still lie with the "home team"?