Krystal Ball photos

I once had an affinity for licking female friends' faces in photos.

At the time, it wasn't a problem -- except when I had bad breath. Maybe somebody would disagree now.

Enter discussions of Krystal Ball, the Virginia Congressional candidate who's dealing with a batch of photos that have surfaced.

She's featured wearing a "sexy Christmas" costume while her then-husband poses as an inappropriate Rudolph.

In the incident's aftermath, Ball has said she's embarrassed by the images. But she's also encouraged women who have done anything stupid on camera to go ahead and run for office.

It's one thing to show up in photos that are overtly pornographic or offensive.

However, a lot of us have snapshots that teeter on the "in between" zone.

We're shown drinking a too-large bottle of alcohol or sharing a too-suggestive embrace with a member of the opposite sex.

Where do you draw the line? Do you avoid posing for any remotely suggestive photos in the name of "just in case"?

I don't think there's anything wrong with the Krystal Ball photos.

Most of us have sported similar getups -- maybe not today or yesterday, but in the moments when we thought our face-licking days would always be regarded as mindless fun.

And is that really so bad? Isn't a big part of life collecting tangible evidence that lets you look back and prove that you've had fun -- but then grown -- along the way?