How do I keep the Reference Point setting at top, left

Question

The nine-by-nine grid in the top left corner (where the vertical and horizontal rulers meet) won't stay selected as the top left setting depending on what I select in my document. Sometimes it's the top left, sometimes it's the bottom right and sometimes it's the top middle. How can I set it so that every box I select in a document will give me the top left reference point (X-Y coordinate)?
I'm proofing a document to make sure it's set-up correctly and all the page-heading colored boxes are  starting at the same X-Y coordinate, have the same width and the next box down on the page starts at the proper location. None of these boxes were created on a master page so I have to check each one. (And even if they were, they've all been released from the master to change their colors and place images.) In other words, on one page there is a colored box across the top that is 10p6 high, so the next box down (vertically) needs to start at the X-Y coordinate of 0, 10p6. But when I click on it the reference point is not always at the top left. So I click on the box, then click on the top left reference point, check the X-Y location and height of the box, then click on the next box down the page and click on the top left reference point and compare the X-Y location to the previous box's height.
I have selected the top left reference point with no documents open to set that as my default preference but I didn't create this document.
InDesign CS5 7.0.4
Mac OS X 10.6.8

Answer 1

@Peter / @FergyMac – in case of rotated objects the reference point will change from object to object.
Not rotated object selected:
Rotated object selected:
Uwe