Time does, in fact, matter. (petty)

The BBQ Pit
1

In other words: Hurry the fuck up. Stop walking so slow, follow the goddamn bus schedule, get to class on time, and understand that if you say we’ll meet at, say, 1:00, it is not acceptable to meander on in at 1:10.

See, apparently, growing up on the East coast, where people understandably get pissed when things are constantly late, has hampered me. I’m ill prepared for attending college in New Mexico, where a huge number of the students, professors, and administrators are from no further East than the Mississippi River.

I’m five feet tall and have proportionally short legs. I shouldn’t be capable of walking faster than my friends who are, say, 5’11. If we were going for a walk through the woods just for the sake of walking, yes, go ahead and meander. But you do not meander to class, or to lunch, or anything like that. You walk, which implies at least displaying a desire to get there sometime within the next half hour.

If the bus schedule says that the bus will be at this stop at, say, 10:45, then it is not acceptable for it to come slowly meandering up the road at 10:50. I know, for a fact, that there is never heavy traffic on the short stretch of road between where it’s coming from and here. There is no one on the bus, so you were not patiently waiting as someone else came sprinting up the road, trying to get on the bus. No, you were simply being intolerably slow.

Aaaargh. If it weren’t for the fact that this place is absolutely, stunningly beautiful, I would go out of my mind in New Mexico.

And I cannot even start about my friend who’s from Hawai’i. Buy. A. Watch.

2

Wow, you’re right. That was petty.

3

Oh, no way, I’m with the OP. Promptness and punctuality are virtues.

4

Didn’t we have a poster a year or two ago who insisted it was his right to show up whenever the hell he wanted, and that we were all infringing on his life by asking that he at least call, or show up within an hour or two of when he said he would?

5

Marching band taught me to be early for everything (if you’re on time, you’re late!), and now I’ve come to expect that from the rest of the world. I live on the East coast and I get frustrated by people’s lateness; remind me never to move to New Mexico.

6

<nelson munz> Ha Ha!</nm>

I truly, truly feel your pain NinjaChick.

I grew up in New Mexico, so I know exactly what you’re talking about. I’m so glad I got the fuck out of the Land of Mañana and relocated to Chicago, where shit can actually get done!

(Ok, so I still end up behind the stupid fucker who can’t get their ass in gear, and sometimes people aren’t as on the ball here either, but at least it doesn’t appear to be a way of life!)

Next time you’re with a group of people, measure how long it takes between the statement “well, we should be going” and somebody actually grabbing their coat. In Chicago, “time to go” means “I’m outa here”. in NM, it seems to mean “sometime in the next three hours I’ll start thinking about moseying along”.

Hang in there, and beware that Mañana Syndrome is rumored to be infectious - it eats into your bones and slowly crushes your ability and desire to do anything. Of my “crew” back there, I was one of only three to escape the gravity of that black hole. :smiley:

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Oh NinjaChick baby, I feel your pain. I HATE to be kept waiting or to be late because someone couldn’t decide whether to wear the black shirt or the other black shirt!
But, my worst experience was traveling in South America.
In the US, (not us) most people consider 10-15 minutes give or take as on time. In Colombia a DAY Yes, I said a day one way or the other is on time. We were staying in a hotel, and our “guide,” Hernando lived 5 minutes away. Each morning we would race to breakfast, to get the day started, and fit in as much as we could. Hernando would usually join us for breakfast, then go get the car… or not. He might come back in a few minutes, or hours or not until the next day. If we called he’d say, sure, he was still coming, he just had a couple things…
I wanted to tear out my hair… or his.

8

<scratches NM off list of places to live>

I hate this! I also hate people who talk slowly–ok, I don’t want anyone to be that FedEx guy a few years back, but seriously–I should not be able to consume a meal waiting for you to complete your single thought.

I have been late many a time–mostly after having kids, sad to say–to I do aim for promptness and hit it the majority of the time.

9

I’m a promptness freak as well. But I am planning to retire to New Mexico so I can learn how to take my time. The key, as a retiree, is to take it easy. I’ll try not to do anything that requires a schedule.

I think this will be hard to adjust to.

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This is interesting, because my BF is from New Mexico. When he says he’ll be at my place at 7, he’s usually there around 7:10. This is in stark contrast to me, who says she’ll be there at 7, and is likely there at 6:45 waiting in the car thinking “damn, I’m too early!”

11

It was Erislover (whom I greatly miss). That said, his actual position was that you are free to be upset about the time thing if you wish and he is free not to be.

12

Oh, the joy I felt upon moving to New Orleans…yep, I feel your pain. I don’t think it’s as bad up here, but down in the swamp, people go slow. They even drive slow. They run late for everything. Granted, given the climate, it makes sense to not want to move around too fast on foot, but your car does not care if it’s 90 degrees F with 80% humidity. Come on, people.

13

And I am free not to spend time with someone who is consistently late. I’m not being snarky, just matter-of-fact - hate lateness.

14

Why miss him? He hasn’t gone anywhere. You must just be checking the wrong threads.

15

[quote=NinjaChick]
See, apparently, growing up on the East coast, where people understandably get pissed when things are constantly late, has hampered me.
Hmm… My partner’s from Connecticut and has a poor sense of time and temporal reasoning. Maybe he was really born in Hawaii and moved to Connecticut?

I have to fudge timings when he’s involved so we can be anywhere on time. On a recent road trip, he wanted to start at 10:00. I said that we should leave at 9:00 and eventually convinced him that 9:00 was a good time to leave. When did we actually get the car pointing in the right direction? Yep. 10:00. If we “left” at 10:00, we’d not be on the road until noon.

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You’re right! Thanks, Mhendo. I haven’t seen him in the philosophical threads. Maybe he’s taking a break from those.

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Oh, me too. I’m a Melancholy.

18

Wherein erislover perfects the list attack. Liberal’s summary is acceptable, if a bit vague. For those not willing to wade through the massive list attack, and the subsequent six-page argument, my point was that it is not rude of me to “make” people wait, just as it is not rude of them to “make” me pick a time within their own personal standards of acceptability; but, if it is, in fact, rude of me to “force” my standards (or lack thereof) upon them, then it is also rude of them to force their standards upon me. From the distance of the threads that started my bitching, I am much more calm about the subject.

It is true I’ve cut back on posting a lot. Also, membership expires either tonight or tomorrow night (can’t tell which), so now’s not the time to get into any lengthy discussions.

19

I will walk as slowly as I want. If I walk at a pace that doesn’t match my comfort level, I tend to be clumsy and uncoordinated, and I’m more likely to trip and hurt myself. But if you’re behind me and the hallway is too narrow for you to pass, then I will speed up. Just don’t laugh at the way I look. Avert your eyes.

I…will…talk…as…slowly…as…I…want. If I don’t speak at the pace that I’m comfortable with, then I s-s-start to stammer and st-st-st-stutter. It’s embarrassing and frustrating and makes me sound like a giant dumbass. I know speaking slowly doesn’t make me sound like a genius, but at least I can properly pronounce every word and construct coherent sentences. If I’m talking to you, however, I will try my best to match your pace. Just don’t laugh if I say stuff like "flower-ry instead of “flowery”.

I will usually drive at the speed limit. This is my comfort level–and you are free to pass me if you don’t like it. I will try to remember to get over onto the shoulder if we’re on a dangerous two-lane highway, though. But don’t ride on my tail!

I will show up to work and appointments on time. Because these are important things.

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Yeah, and he never would answer the question of “what are you DOING that prevents you from making any appointments”.