Well, looks I'm not the only one who experienced decline in payment after a very long or extreme short block.
While hash rate stays the same......so where does it go?
variance. it is a part of slush's scoring/reward system.
variance will average out over time tho.
you only mention your "decline in payment" but if you watch your numbers in slush's pool there are also "above average" payments that you receive. those are also variance.