Kashkari's back from the woods

Neel Kashkari is emerging from the wilderness. Literally.

For the last several months, the former TARP Czar has been tucked away in a Walden-like retreat in rural California.

As the Washington Post described in a lengthy profile, DC had put the 35-year old through the ringer:

Congress savaged him. Wall Street Journal editorials doubted him. His home-town buddies urged him to use the money to buy the Cleveland Browns and fire the coaches. His wife spoke to him so rarely, she described them as "dead to each other." He lost sleep, gained weight and saw a close adviser, Don Hammond, suffer a heart attack at his Treasury desk. On May 1, after serving seven months under Presidents Bush and Obama, he resigned. 

The poor guy slept with his BlackBerry, we learned.

He had four goals to achieve before emerging from his self-imposed exile, the Post reported:  "1. build shed; 2. chop wood; 3. lose 20 pounds ;4. help with Hank's book."

The book must be done and the shed must be built, because no sooner did the Post profile hit the presses than a news release flew into reporters' inboxes announcing that Kashkari has taken a job at PIMCO, a major investment firm.

PIMCO announced yesterday that Kashkari will come on board to "help direct the firm’s expansion into new investment initiatives, including its equities business."

The Post made no mention of the PIMCO job specificlally, but did hint about "a job offer he's gotten in financial services" and added that Kashkari and "feels ready to start work before the end of the year."

Better fire up the BlackBerry again.