8:30 (ish)

I suffer from Chronic Lateness Disease, a terible malady, which makes me late for work each and every day. I've been late for a meeting with one of the biggest provincial politicians and in school I used to miss the bus regularly.

My Grade 8 teacher was concerned about my lateness and wanted to cure me of it. He warned me that if I was late for class one more time before the volleyball semi finals, I wouldn't be allowed to play. I loved volleyball, but I just couldn't get to school on time. I had to sit on the sidelines while my team lost. It was torture.

(I'm not and never have been especially good at volleyball, but playing it made me happy. It wouldn't have made a difference to our final standing if I had played, but at least then I would have died trying, which is always better than sitting on the sidelines grieving inside.)

A few months later I was so late for the year-end party that I missed the bus to the waterslides or wherever it was that we were going. I'm sure my teacher was confused as to why his plan didn't work.

Back to why I'm telling you this: it doesn't matter that I'm late for work every day because my boss sometimes comes in an hour late and the other reporter hasn't shown up yet today.

It almost makes me look punctual.