MSNBC just posted that Ken Lay and Jeff Skilling were just convicted in the Enron scandal and can I say Hallejuah!

I will admit that I really haven't paid attention to the details about what has been happening because frankly its too painful.  You know how a lot of people look at 9/11 as their moment of pain in 2001 - Enron was mine.

You see - my Dad worked for Enron (and its earlier incarnations) for over 20 years.  Basically my entire life at that point.  The success of Enron did bring food to my house - but at the same time it was destroying that same house.

During jr. high and high school, Enron had my dad working on pipeline projects all around the world.  He was probably home at most a quarter of those six years - maybe less.  It got to the point where it was a bigger hassle to have him home than it was to have him away.

It was overseas where he opted to switch over zen buddhism, it was overseas where he met Keiko the zen teacher, it was overseas where he started having the affair the ultimately broke up my family. 

Now I will concede to the fact that ultimately there was something wrong in their marriage, but I think a large chunk of it had to deal with the fact that the corporate atmosphere at Enron made it impossible for my Dad to relax and not concentrate on work.  He was always afraid that if he worked less than 100 hours a week that he was going to lose his job and lose his way of supporting his family.  I'm sure he wasn't the only one.  What I resent about Enron is that they essentially took my father away when he should have been there watching me grow up.  The fact that Lay's action ultimately led to the destruction of my families savings (because of their inane insistance that their employee's 401k's be funded through enron stock) is like lemon being squeezed into the wound - it hurts me but it wasn't what hurts me most. 

The closest contact I ever had with Ken Lay was when I sent him a thank you card for a one time $1000 scholarship/grant I got for college.  My dad was all - "You must write him a thank you card or he'll take the money away" or some bs like that.  So I did.  Years later when my mom is going through my dad's stuff during the divorce - she found this yellow envelope filled with enron stuff and in it was the thank you card.  It had gotten to Ken Lay and he had written -

Good Luck at Wellesley!  Ken Lay

The guy thinks so much of himself that he had to sign and return a thank you card.

It really sucked for a long time that people used the whole Enron fiasco to be the butt of their jokes because it wasn't a joke to me.  It was very real and very painful.  I haven't been paying close attention to the trial because frankly its still painful to think about.  But today when they announced that Lay was guilty on all charges - I just did a little dance.

I really hope they send him away for a long time.  I hope that he becomes somebody's bitch - just like he made the Enron employees his bitch.  And I hope that I can finally put this all behind me.

I will admit that there are some good things that came of this.  My dad did marry his zen mistress and is apparently very happy with her.  I'm beginning to come around to her but its still really awkward and I have no desire to actually go down to Texas to meet her.  My mom has proven that she is a survivor once and for all.  She really is the strongest lady I know and I hope that I someday will come close to being as super as she is.  And finally - I've come away learning that my job isn't everything to me.  I strive to do my best - but at the end of the day I know that its not my job that defines me.  I know people say get a job you love - and I'm sure that does make it better - but ultimately it's more important that you love the people around you because your job is never going to love you back like they do. 

So I guess I'll just end it at that because I have some celebrating to do!