Cynical Wisdom?

When I think about Ecclesiastes, I try to step away from the popular chapter 3 (remember "there is a time for every purpose under heaven?"). And when I step away from Ecclesiastes 3, most translations point to the writer speaking of "vanity of vanities," of what may appear at the surface to be a pointlessness to this life. However, the word often translated as "vanity" is more about meaninglessness or the fleeting nature of some of our values. Is that what Ecclesiastes is getting at? What message can we discern from Ecclesiastes 1:1-11; 3:1-17?