**and not write a single word, by Dickie E. Cronkite

This story in today's Seattle Times was the senior writer's baby, building on an Enron/energy bill story I wrote a couple of weeks back. I was lucky enough to be along for the ride and voila! - a pretty spectacular byline.

So check this out - while I could only hear out of one ear yesterday (and still just one today - it's totally closed-up), at least it wasn't my phone ear. I also still possessed an extroadinary mastery of hand-eye coordination, allowing to point and click on various political/financial disclosure Web sites.

Basically I did a lot of the follow-the-money reporting - anywhere you see Reliant, Weil Gotshal etc. linked to the Congressional conferees, that's me. Despite the sledge hammer banging in my ear, it turned out to be a good day.

Things are slower for me at the Seattle Times. I may not be churning out stories like at the News-Press, but I'm learning. Alicia's all about digging for the bottom line - the lobbying firms, the corporations pulling the strings, etc., really taking initiative to connect the dots - and it's great to be working with someone who thinks like that.