Goonie Eyes and Bun Warmers

This morning I woke up to two things: A) freezing temperatures outside from the blue northern that came through yesterday, and B) a Goonie eye.

I was ecstatic about the cold weather. It didn't get above 52 yesterday and we got a light freeze last night, which was the first of the year. I'm a cold weather person, mainly because of my obsession with outerwear.

However, I could have done without the Goonie eye.

Last fall, my eye lids would occasionally swell as some sort of allergic reaction to something. I have no idea what causes it, but it will be dormant for months and suddenly strike without warning. It may be just one of the eyes that swells to no end, or it may attack both.

I call it a Goonie eye because it reminds me of the character Sloth from the movie "The Goonies" that aired in the 80s. It was a defining movie of everyone who grew up in the 80s about a group of kids that go on a wild treasure hunt adventure. Anyway, Sloth is a large, deformed creature who's main line is, "Hey you guys!" (I wish I could insert a sound bite here for the full effect.)

I've somewhat created a Goonie scale for the level of swelling intensity that I experience. A Level 1 Goonie Eye is characterized by light swelling that isn't noticeable to others. A Level 5 Goonie Eye could win me first place in a Sloth look-alike contest.

I would classify this morning's case as a Level 4. It was pretty big. I could feel it before I looked in the mirror. Once I did look in the mirror, I scared myself slightly, which was actually a good thing because it woke me up a little bit.

Here's what I look like on a normal basis:

And here's me with a Level 5 Goonie Eye:

Fortunately, after I got out of the shower, I dropped to about a Level 2 Goonie Eye, which is noticeable, but only if you're looking for it.

As for the cold weather, it was 32 degrees this morning - crisp, cold and wonderful. Note the frost on this rare patch of green in Lubbock.

I'm sure at some point later in the cold months I will be cursing the biting cold, but for now, I will just enjoy turning on the bun warmers in my Tahoe and wrapping up in some sort of outerwear.

Plus, when a cold morning combines with a sunrise like this one, it gives me a warm, cozy feeling inside that demands hot chocolate.