Well I have been here for about a year and a half. I definitely remember the ups and downs. In the beginning I think it probably was easier. Nowadays I think the minnows have a bit of a harder time.
As for the people that are just getting voting Bots to bring them to the top of the trending page, well that sucks. It especially sucks when they're not actually providing any good content.
I can understand if you want to take a small break but you provide good content so I'd hate to think that you're actually going to leave for any extended period of time.