I’ve finally come back to check on this thread, and find that I’ve been put in my place by some of you. 
All right, I can take it: bring it on! (well, don’t really do that… not a good idea)
Some things that I thought of while reading the rest of the thread:
No, I’m not a teen; in fact, I’m in my 20s.
I am not blind or cheap. I just do not drive, and that’s all there is to it.
Books help a lot… and it doesn’t hurt that I love to read.
At times, it’s more like she’s taking me somewhere that SHE wants me to go. Of course, if she’s taking me somewhere that I want to go, then yes, it’s different. I take that point.
As much as is possible, I don’t beg my mom for rides; rather, I take the bus, or find alternative transportation. However, there are times that she has offered to take me somewhere, and I accept. She’s not late all the time, but sometimes it irks me.
Usually, I have to be somewhere at a certain time: appointments and such. There was this one time that I was 15 minutes late to an early-morning concert band practice in Gr. 9 because my mom couldn’t get out of the house on time. So this happens whether I live at home or on my own. I couldn’t have taken the bus at that time because the first bus was at 6:40 or thereabouts, and practice started at 6:55… it took at least 20 minutes to get to the school in part because after the 15-minute bus ride, I had to walk a few blocks from the bus stop to the school. In that situation, I had no alternative.
Sometimes I try to adjust the time that I actually go out and wait for her, since I know she’ll be late at times. It has worked brilliantly on some occasions, and not so brilliantly on others. (meaning that if I’m five minutes “late” to wait for her, and she shows up five minutes later, then it’s worked; however, if she’s mad that I’m late when I show up, it hasn’t)
Usually, I don’t think that it’s that big of a deal to wait, but if I have to be somewhere at a certain time, then there are the times that I think I’d be better off taking the bus. (and I do)
I deal with annoyances okay, I suppose, but everyone has their breaking point, or the straw that broke the camel’s back.
There are the times where we both have to be somewhere (not necessarily the same place, but it could happen) at a certain time, so if she’s late, that puts both of our schedules out of whack, and could possibly make both of us late for our respective appointments.
“From the goodness of her heart?” That sounds exactly like what she says all the time, when she thinks I don’t appreciate it at all. I know I’m being done a favor or something similar; I just don’t like being made to feel grateful for it eternally! (yes, she brings up trivial things that happened years ago, and still expects me to be thankful for them, but that’s another thread entirely)
I should add that most of the time she gives me a ride, it’s not a matter of her going out of the house just to give me said ride. Usually, she’s going out anyways, and it’s not just a “special trip.”
I usually don’t mind if people are a mere three minutes late, but sometimes if I have to get somewhere by a certain time (and it’s not just a “hang-out-at-mall” type of deal), then it can get irritating. No, I don’t usually complain or bitch about it, because usually people apologize if they’re late! However, my mom doesn’t on most occasions when she is late. I know, I know: she doesn’t have to apologize because she’s my mom, but it would certainly be nice to hear a sincere apology once in a while.
I don’t expect her to revolve her life around me; usually, I’d prefer that not to be the case. But her being on time would help!
If I did have a talk with her, she’d think I was being ungrateful. So, I am not sure that is ever going to happen. It does bother me, but then again…
Maybe it is more convenient if I have to wait where she tells me to wait, but sometimes that means I have to get ready earlier than I’d like. Besides, she’s practically the only person who wants me to wait either outside the apartment, or across the street. Before anyone tells me that those two points are unjustified whining and such, I know they are. I’m just getting them out of the way and out of my system. 