Recently I received one of the strangest requests ever to hit my inbox. Basically, a publishing company would like permission to publish one of my Flickr photos in a college textbook. For real! I’ve been told that after giving permission to the publisher:

Your image would appear .25 page size, in color, in the textbook Sociology: A Global Perspective 7th Edition ©2008, by author Joan Ferrante, published by Wadsworth/Thomson Learning. The textbook will be distributed Worldwide, in English language, with print run of 27,000.

That’s right. 27,000 worldwide copies floating around with my little picture inside. *GASP* And it just wouldn’t be right if I left you hanging here by not posting the photo, so here it is:

What do I do now? Agree? Call the dental assistant and get her permission, too? Ask for royalties? Request a copy for myself and all of my favorite relatives? Pass it off as spam? No way… it’s not spam. Can’t be. Let’s not go there.

I’m feeling just a wee bit dumbfounded right now. *shakes head*

UPDATE 6/1/07: She’s not returning my calls or emails. Whatever.

The first day back after a long holiday weekend tends to be hectic at the office, but nothing like today. Utter chaos. So after the subsiding of chitter chatter about the holiday, invoices, long lost relatives, health related issues, and timeline for when the ax will drop after the reorganization, what better way to refocus than with a ‘What I’m having for lunch’ blog, right? Alrighty then!

Today’s lunch is an old Lean Cuisine favorite of mine that had been retired to the back of my freezer after much dogging from the office staffer chicks. Yeah, you know who you are—I’ve given this one a long enough rest! That’s right ladies: CHICKEN WITH ALMONDS. (Chicken tenderloins with rice, green beans, carrots, broccoli & freezer burn to be exact.) 260 calories of healthy goodness! To some folks around here anyway. *hmmppff*

And I didn’t even stink up the place, that is if you compare it to the Beef Portabello stench that I piped through the ventilation system last week. But we’re over that now, aren’t we? I’ll take that as a ‘Yes’.

So tell me, what exactly did you have for lunch today?

Happy Memorial Day tomorrow! Question: is it politically correct to say ‘Happy’ before ‘Memorial Day’ when we’re commemorating the military men and women who’ve died while in service to our country? At least it doesn’t make me happy to know they’re dead while we’re alive and free. I just wish those folks were still alive to enjoy the freedom alongside us. But it doesn’t work that way, does it?

Things that make you go hmmm.

But hey, I didn’t stop in here to post a blog about the Memorial Day weekend. Yet. It’s not over! Instead I wanted to direct visitors over to the new ‘Meez’ avatar link over in the sidebar. That thing is just, well, it’s cool. And now you know just how easily amused I can be when it comes to avatars. Can’t see the link? Click here.

Well, isn’t that special? Oh no, flashback to The Church Lady just then. Could it be… SATAN?

Apparently all that exercise has gone to my head today. Pay no attention to the woman behind the blog.

There goes my case for the ultimate deep-dark tan. Dooce just found out her skin cancer is back. My first thought? #$@!!##$%

You do the translation.