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We've had an unseasonable cold snap this week, which means that I've been waiting for the bus in wintery-cold temperatures, and that tonight we are experiencing the Ice Storm of Potential Doom (tm). (Not that we get to stay in and enjoy it -- both Pete and I had to head into campus for various reasons, but that's the beauty of our fine bus system. You don't have to drive, so you can watch cars skidding down the road with detached amusement.) The cold has been the problem, though. I'm just not ready to start layering wool sweaters atop thermals atop long underwear, or abandon my Chucks for non-canvas shoes.

It's going to get much colder than it's been in the mornings, of course -- soon, I'll be waiting for the bus in firmly subzero temperatures -- but the sudden transition means that I'm not hardy enough to face the weather where you try and perfect your stance so that your cold pants don't touch the flesh of your legs. Finally, after surviving five full Wisconsin winters, I'm tired of appropriate layering. I want to be wrapped in a big, fluffy marshmallow of warmth. After perpetually making fun of my mother for her penchant for enormous coats that completely overwhelm her petite frame, I'm this close to ordering one myself. The more that it resembles a head-to-toe mummy sleeping bag, the better. (Pete has been trying to convince me to get a Canada Goose parka from one of our friends who had to buy one to visit the South Pole, but they're apparently too warm for our climate. And expensive.) But a tiny, stubborn shred of vanity prevents me from doing so.

However, I'm happy to report that a cursory survey of Zappos reveals that winter boots have dramatically improved in style since my childhood, when my mom would resolutely shove my feet into a five-pound pair of two-sizes-too-large Bean Boots every day between December and April. I haven't entirely figured out what to do about the marshmallow coat vs. vanity situation, but some old demons, at least, can be exorcised.

"The more that it resembles a head-to-toe mummy sleeping bag, the better."

aye aye! I totally agree!

But in purple.

I thought this one from J Crew didn't look too bad -- maybe all you need is a pretty ribbon:

http://www.jcrew.com/catalog/product.jhtml?id=prod86779251&catId=cat260192