"Hey! Look at me!!"

Being an attention whore is cool and all. I mean, they help the world go round. How would the E! network exist if it weren't for C- list celebs happy to whore themselves out for a minute or two in the spotlight? And clearly, the quality of the fabric of our society would diminish if the E! network were to disappear.

That said, being an attention whore shouldn't make you look pathetic and desperate for an ounce of validation from someone....anyone. Unless you're Jenna Lewis. fn1.

This is why I wrinkled my nose at the ad that came in my inbox from MarathonFoto, the "official photo partner" of the San Francisco marathon. It offered a new special product -- holiday photo postcards with your marathon photos, to show off your achievement to your friends.

To me, this smacked of an attempt to tap into people's desire for self-promotion. It would be like buying a new BMW, then sending out a photo postcard with a photo of you standing next to it, letting everyone know "Look what I got this year!"

I have no problem with people sending out pictures of themselves, or their kids, or their pets, or whatever. Especially with kids, it is a convenient way of letting everyone see what your kids look like in the current year. But when it's some form of blatent self-promotion, I have to draw the line. It's fine to be proud of finishing a marathon, but do you really have to pay $18 for 30 photo post cards so that you can wave it in the faces of your friends and family? I say "no."

1. Jenna was the "Survivor" cast member most famous (infamous?) for the "leaked" honeymoon sex tape that sufaced on the internet. Information later surfaced indicating that she was the person who "leaked" the tape, and she and her agent were behind the online operation set up to sell the tape. All the while, she claimed great distress. See details here.