When I was growing up, my appetite for reading books was insatiable. I spent all my stipend buying books. Books and more books. But the money was never enough. So one day when I was browsing the bookstore shelves for new title arrivals, I read the back page reviews of this one bestseller. I read the front matter. Now, they say most people only read the first 19 pages of a book but I found myself reading several chapters that Saturday morning. All the while leaning against the book shelf. In those days, folks were more trusting. These days, a minute longer in a bookstore and a nosy attendant will menacingly ask how they can be of help. Like you are an infant that cannot reach the top shelf.

After several “visits” between the shelves, I had completed my all-time favorite biography: IACOCCA – the story of America’s automobile industry captain. Lee Iacocca (he died earlier this month) turned around both The Ford and Chrysler Corporations into the profit-churning behemoths they are today. (One time he and his management team had an altercation with Henry Ford. Mr Ford asked them out of the building, and proceeded to point at the signboard right above it. He curtly asked them: Whose name is up there? Nobody answered but the point had been made. They all went back to the boardroom and acquiesced in his unreasonable demands.) But I digress. My pilgrimage to the bookstore that week was the beginning of a “very bad” habit that stayed throughout my teenage years.

This morning, I dropped by the Intraline office. I found one of the interns unboxing and repackaging an Amazon order (all New York Times’ bestseller books) for our online customer. And what do you know? I volunteered to help. (Let God be true, and every man a liar), I must admit my intentions were less than noble. Yeah. You see, that aforementioned little boy still lives in me. Yeah. But between pushing around a few boxes and sliding back to my old cheapskate, blissful ways, the delivery van arrived. Oh blimey! Killjoys and wet blankets everywhere nowadays.

Please bring back the days of old;-)