You know it’s cold–

when your eyeglasses frost over with the air from your nostrils.

For those with asthma and similar conditions (such as the euphemistically named “exercise-induced bronchospasm”), cold can be an enemy. Cold air is dry air, and dry air increases asthma symptoms.

So since the walk into class this afternoon had me wheezing a bit, I told myself I’d take precautions on the trip back to my car. I wrapped my scarf tightly around my face, covering my mouth and nose. This kept more moisture in and warmed the air slightly before I breathed it in. It’s a common recommendation for asthmatic individuals dealing with low temperatures.

While the scarf technique was successful at preventing wheezing on the way back from class, there were some unexpected complications. The scarf channelled some of my breath up and behind my eyeglasses, causing them to fog over–and then frost over.

So I walked back to my car blind. I lifted the glasses to look both ways before crossing the main street, and replaced them a little low on my nose (so that I could look over them if needed for the rest of the trip.)

Once I got back to the car, I turned it on and waited for a few minutes for my glasses to thaw. It didn’t take too long before they thawed and the water ran off onto my cheeks in two huge teardrops.