The "Smartest Guys in the Room?" I don't think so.

The "Slimiest Guys in the Room"--now that fits. Saw the documentary regarding the Enron debacle last night, and it held few surprises. Must say I was shocked at the attitude of the brokers who were manipulating power supplies in California to raise electricity prices--they didn't just not give a rat's ass about how they were hurting people in the process of lining their pockets, they seemed genuinely amused and gratified by it all.

Linda, she who has worked in brokerage firms many, many years, was not surprised by the brokers' attitudes. "They're all like that, to one degree or another," she told me.

Whoa--methinks "trader" and "pond scum" should be synonyms from here on in (though that may be an insult to pond scum).

On other fronts, I dusted off my bike, pumped up the tires, and actually drove the thing to the nearest P.O. this afternoon. Felt superior as all heck as I pulled up next to the post office boxes, where an enormous SUV was parked (I know, I know, I drive everywhere all the time--who am I kidding??).

Felt good to feign exercise, even of a minor sort. Though I must say, I seemed to have hit the bike path during the caterpillar rush hour--I was bobbing and weaving most of the trip (and no, they don't post "Caterpillar Crossing" signs, as well they should).

Might hop on the bike the next time I need to drop off another rash of resume attempts. I think my bike is okay for short dashes, but I'm not sure my tires are up to a long trip. Plus, all of the gears are not in working order, and all of the "chrome" is now, er, distressed. But then--what do I expect? I've had that bike since I lived in Brooklyn, which was sometime in the very late 1980s.

It's old and a wee bit rusty, but it gets the job done (yes, before you say it, it is a lot like your humble correspondent).

Speaking of getting the job done, I was pleasantly surprised by the local career center. They hooked me up with a fabulous Web site that has helped me find all sorts of interesting jobs--well, interesting in theory, anyway (nobody has the guts to mention salary, and that's rarely a good thing). The few jobs that did mention salary mentioned a number that I recall from a job I took in 1990--actually, it was $1,000 less than the job I took in 1990.

Last but not least, today is Lee and Jane's last day. They were my publisher and managing editor, respectively, for the past 10+ years, and I am going to miss working with them more than I can say. I know I'll have to lower my expectations regarding income if I'm to work in this part of the world--that I can do. But I think I'll also have to lower my expectations regarding my management and my colleagues, for Jane and Lee have been spectacular to work with and for--and I don't think a person gets that lucky twice.

Yet, one never does know....