I was about 8 years old when it began. "She has a spot in her right eye!" Mom exclaimed to the first doctor. Now, I've never had my father's gorgeous blue eyes (mine are darker...Charlie drew the lucky ticket from that particular lottery)...but at least I had a matching set at one time.

It was not my regular doctor. My mother had noticed the smudge of "alarming" color across my right iris one blustery Saturday morning—and, duly freaked out, rushed me to urgent care. The doctor on-call released me with, I am certain, a barely repressed eye-roll and a dismissive, "There's nothing wrong with her."

A month later, the spot had grown, noticeably. My mother, caring for my sensibilities and my young feminine vanity, shuddered, "It just looks so freaky. It can't be normal. There's something wrong. That just doesn't look right!" Dad had a doctor appointment that day, and Mom sent me along with him. "Have him look at her right eye, Rog! I really think there's something very wrong!"

Dad's doctor shrugged at my eye. "She seems healthy enough."

Mother-dearest was not pleased. "You've got to be kidding me! Her eyes don't match! They used to match! It looks so odd!" Another month passed. The spot grew more still, and my mother finally took me to my own doctor. He took one look at my eye and shooed us away, telling Mom that I was perfectly fine and for goodness sake calm down!

That right eye continued to alarm my mother for years. (In her defense, it did appear that my eye had a spreading mass of yellow for awhile there....but I feel it's my right to pick on her :-D) Luckily, as the area grew, it was apparent that the alien color was hazel, not yellow—hazel, the color of my mother's eyes. This, naturally, made her absurdly proud.

Over the years, I have received humorous comments. Some people, people who I've known most of my life, have never noticed the oddity. Others will notice it "out of the blue" (pun most certainly intended) after years of ignorance only to ask, "Did you know that your eyes are different colors?" Or, "Is there something in your eye?" Or, my favorite, "Do things look different out of that eye?" As my biology teacher stated—this is the biology teacher who used me as the class show-and-tell through all of our genetic studies...me! The SHYEST of them all! You wanna see a widow's peak? Look at Laura. Laura doesn't have hanging ear lobes. Laura is a freak of genetic nature. Everyone, please: Look at Laura. Study her, make her nervous, make her wish she had a bag on her head—erm, where was I?

Oh, yes, as my biology teacher stated, "It's a good conversational piece, at least." (Obviously I have some unresolved issues) Indeed, as it is taking up an entire post. Of course, I've also had a full strength, albeit sugar free, coffee drink recently, and I have very hyper fingers.

Just to tie this post together a bit: I'm goofy-looking and jittery. Moving forward now.

About a week ago, Mom pointed out, quite excitedly, that Kate Bosworth has my eye! Same side and all! I may still be a genetic freak of nature, but I'm not the only one! I, being the obsessive researcher that I am, studied all there is to know about freaky eye coloration, and found A NAME for the condition! Sectoral Heterochromia Iridis! It can develop, assuming a child is not born with the discoloration, if they experience a sort of trauma early in life (I bet I was being deprived of pie or something) or late in life. Isn't that crazy!?

If this question ever comes up in trivial pursuit, I'm totally covered.

[If any of you have read to this point and are still interested] Here is a list of somewhat famous people who have Heterochromia Iridium (different-colored eyes). Cheers!