Although most ad campaigns change pretty regularly over the years, or even months, some have persisted ad infinitum, or ad nauseam, depending upon your perspective and tolerance. Locally, the Naron Candy people have been using the same jingle for their Mary Sue candies since Christ was a corporal. There's no one who grew up in Baltimore who doesn't know that "Mary Sue Easter Eggs, They're the Best Easter Eggs" goes to the tune of "Poor Little Buttercup" from The Pirates of Penzance. I loathe Gilbert and Sullivan, but I do love Mary Sue coconut eggs, so I'm willing to bite the bullet. Or the egg, as it were.

As far as I know, the nice people at Peter Paul Candy are still using the old "sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don't" shtick to promote their Almond Joy and Mounds bars. I love both, and I hate change, so I'm all about the repetition of one jingle for forty years.

Thanks to Pam (over at MotherReader), who spoke recently on chronic lateness, I've decided to adopt a new motto: Sometimes I'm late, sometimes I'm not.

There are times at which I believe in being insanely early. Though I'm known to favor a wake-up time somewhere after ten o'clock, if the day's work involves travel I want to be on the road as soon as possible. This annoys my usual travel companions to no end. Despite the considerable improvements in Maryland's roads, I apparently harbor a subconscious belief that it still takes twelve hours, two streetcars, one Bay steamer and one railroad to get me to the ocean. Thus, it is vital that I leave the city before six in the morning. I don't mind operating on two hours of sleep if needed, but damnit, I will leave town early.

I also believe in being on time, reasonably, for dinner parties. Naturally, there's going to be a buffer in there when the host serves cocktails and all, but you can probably assume that he wants to serve food at some specific time, and it's a bit rude to show up an hour late.

I do not believe in being "on time" for non-dinner parties. I despise being the first person to arrive. It is no fun to sit there while the host rummages around getting ready; and it is even less fun to have no chance to make an Arrival. If anyone really expects me to arrive at the time specified by the invitation, they'd telephone me and ask for help setting up. I can do that.

I believe in being on time, sort of, for work. As a teacher, I generally need to be a bit early to set up my blackboards, make dittos, etc. On the other hand, my previous careers didn't involve any early morning setup, so there wasn't much reason to be early. Yet, employers seem to expect it. Um, if you're not planning to pay me overtime, don't expect me to show up half an hour ahead of time. So, precisely on time will be just fine.

I do not believe in being on time for meetings. Meetings, in ANY professional setting, are worthless annoyances, and if you arrive early or even on time, you can guarantee being the first one there and that you will have to cut bagels or some sort of foolishness.