Why is it so difficult to be on time? The painter has been late every day. I rise early, head out for my speed walk through Central Park, rush home, shower, dress and wait. Three days running…same outcome. If I were tardy to the painting party, I would get attitude and they would leave even earlier.

Did you know that the new departure time for painters, flooring personnel, tile workers is 4pm? They all have bankers hours. Basically, all workmen suck, don’t speak English which makes instructions difficult to communicate accurately and they all have plumbers crack…silly me, I thought that plumber’s crack was occupationally specific. Supervisors think they are members of a superior clip board race and are never where they should be and have what they consider to be plausible deniability.

Be timely, Toby.

Back to the timeless subject of being on time…Doctors offices. I know there are emergencies, but when you book the first appointment and the doctor is perpetually late (only gynecologists get a bit of a pass….babies are never on time), that makes you think, WTF? I f the patient is late, they lose their appointment. At restaurants, you have a 5-10 minute grace period, but it is not unusual to “wait at the bar” for 30 minutes until your table is available. (more money spent on alcohol which has the highest mark up).

With heightened security, travelers have to arrive 90 minutes ahead of departure. More often than not, the departure time is delayed and little information is released.

At the US Open, my team knew that the morning meeting started at 9 AM…text and phone calls started coming at 8:15…I thought such tired excuses as,  “My dog ate my shoes” and “My grandmother died” ended in middle school.

Why do friends make concrete plans and then make you wait?! And wait and wait…my straightening iron broke is not a good excuse and if you live in Los Angeles you know that there will be traffic, so plan ahead. I am always on time…so much so that the stress of being punctual makes me sweat and we all know that I do not need more of an impetus to perspire.

Hair salons…you pay ridiculous prices to see a certain stylist and they are always running late. A professional should know how long it takes to cut hair unless Rapunzel is on the daily docket. Color has more issues so color your day on time and book a longer appointment…boo hoo, you make a little less that day. If you are good, they will come and tip well.

Theater is now going with the late flow. You are supposed to be in your seats by curtain time. Frequently, Broadway shows are not starting until 10 minutes after the official scheduled performance time.

Sporting events are one of the only events that still start on time. I wish yesterday’s Giants game debacle never started at all!

Watches are one of the most popular retail items. Many spend thousands on designer watches. Rafa Nadal wore a $300,000 watch during the trophy presentation for winning the US Open. Very few people go without a watch and of course, everyone has a cell phone which sports the most accurate time…and yet the human race is always running late.

What is timeless…being on time.