Tuesday, 2/1

Even for someone with years of experience in injuring myself, this was a new one.

First of all, I'm fine. I'm not hurt at all. It wasn't like Christmas Day when I went out running, tried to kick what I thought was a loose ice chunk only to find out it was frozen solid to the ground, and ended up sprawled out on the very same ground. Nope, I'm fine. Although I still DO have a rather nasty scar from that Christmas day incident on my right elbow.

But that's neither here nor there.

So...just how did I injure myself this time, you ask? Well, I answer, it has to do with the very bitter cold we've had the past week. Sure, today it could hit 40 here in Marquette, but for most of the past week it's just been in the single digits with strong breezes, giving us wind chills of 20 or more below. That doesn't stop me from doing things like going out and running, although it does cause me to put 22 different pieces of clothing on (and chore in and of itself). Anyway, a couple of days ago, a day after running in those conditions, I noticed my left earlobe was a little sore. By the next day it was a little puffy. And by yesterday, when I put my fingers on it, I noticed a bunch of dead skin on the earlobe, much like one has with a peeling sunburn.

And since there hasn't been any sun around here I'm guessing that, for the first time ever, I've suffered either frostbite or windburn, but only on my left earlobe.

Am I good or what?

A couple of thoughts are running through my head, first and foremost that, apparently, 22 pieces of clothing while running last week may not have been enough. But secondly, and perhaps most importantly, how the heck does one get windburn or frostbite on one earlobe and not the other. The hat I wear while running covers both earlobes equally, so why the left one but not the right? The nearest I can figure is that, for some reason, the hat hiked up over my left ear a little bit, exposing the earlobe to those bitterly cold winds, but if that were the case, don't you think I'd notice it?

I mean, if it were cold enough to give me either windburn or frostbite, you'd think that even my little pea-brain would have noticed it. But apparently not. I know I say this enough for it to have become a running joke, but sometimes I amaze even myself.

And not in a good way.

Thankfully, the skin on my left earlobe has finished peeling off, leaving it slightly pink but otherwise in good shape, much like what happens after you get a sunburn. And, just as thankfully, there's nothing like the bitter cold we had last week in the immediate weather forecast.

After all, my right earlobe might be a little jealous, and want to get in on the action itself.

(jim@wmqt.com)