I've stepped back from Beeb jobs for now. Alex really wants me to get US citizenship taken care of first, and jobhunting in Europe (which they could potentially discover during the final background check) could mess that up. Moreover by the end of March I'll know what my separation date - if any - will be from the Bank. It's probably not going to be until August, so I've a fair whack of time to prep.

As for the auction, I'm fairly certain it's going to go far beyond my means, anyways. The bid was just for the sheer fun of it - like playing the lottery. ;)