I should have stayed in bed

I know, all I write about is the cold. I'll get over it eventually:

It looks absolutely beautiful outside. So beautiful, in fact, that if I were in California, I'd probably call this a perfect California day.

Except it's not.

Even though the sky is a perfect blue and there's not a cloud in the sky, when I went outside today I wore 27 layers (according to my roommate) and looked something like this:


My first though when I walked outside into 5 degrees with a slight wind chill was that it wasn't so much different from 12, from 17, from 22... from all the other ungodly temperatures I've experienced so far this winter. But during my one-minute walk to the train station I could feel the difference. 5 just hurt a little more, on my cheeks, on my nose, on my fingers and toes, it made my sinuses feel stiff, my eyes water, and my nose run. I could also feel the difference when I got to the train platform. Heating lamps do nothing in 5. Granted, they do little in 35, but they might as well not be there at all when it gets below that. Why Chicago's train platforms are outdoor, and even worse, lined with cool, modern-looking metal with holes in it is beyond me. So that was me, with my 27 layers; I was dressed better than most people.