So very cold

The weather is a major factor for me. Because I walk everywhere, and I tend to be cold all the time, temperature fluctuations really affect the quality of my life. I have been accumulating warm clothes. So far I have:
--a warm, waterproof winter coat that fits me (although it's a girl's snowboarding coat, so it's neon green)
--tights to wear under my pants (I can't find decently-priced thermal underwear in my size. I have a fantastic pair of silk thermals from Wintersilks, but I can't afford to buy a week's worth)
--overpants to wear over my jeans and thermals when I walk to work (boy's snowboarding pants from Meijer)
--many fleece jackets, wool socks, scarves and gloves (Target)
--hat with earflaps (yes, I look stupid)
--massive dorky insulated waterproof duck boots
--insulated snowpants, complete with swishing sound (girl's snowpants from Target)
--I also ordered a silk face mask and gloves liners from Wintersilks, but they haven't come yet.
I look stupid when I walk to work. I feel like a yeti, and my nose is usually dripping from the cold. (Last week, it was so cold that when I wiped my nose on my glove, the snot froze into snow). The last stretch is bad--I tend to meet all the people dressed smartly as they dash from their cars to their buildings.

Running every day has been really a problem for me. I am already cold when I am outside wearing all of the aforementioned gear, so the prospect of stripping down to a running suit and braving the outdoors fills me with dread. I have developed a running outfit that includes thermal underwear under double-lined running pants, a fleece under a running jacket that is already lined with fleece, a stupid hat, and running gloves, but at any given time, some part of my body is giving off frostbite warning signs like numbness and tingling. I have been told by several sources that I should wear less when running in cold weather to avoid overheating. What are they, nuts? I don't think that I have come close to overheating since November: I am lucky if I can end up pleasantly not cold by the time I finish my run.

I have been really dreading this weekend: the forecast predicted a low of -5 degrees (-15, with windchill or "RealFeel" as they call it nowadays). I was worried that I would step outside, crisp up and blow away. Luckily, this did not happen. I put on my 5 layers of clothes, and things were OK. It did not actually feel so bad. I figure that maybe it's like heat in California--if it's over 95 degrees, who cares how hot it is, you are already wearing your coolest clothes--it's not as if you can do anything else about it. I even took Argos to the dog park, and he had a great time. The playground, Frolf course (or "Disk" as they call it nowadays) and woods were empty, so all the dogs could go wherever they wanted off leash.

I also found out that as ISU staff, I am allowed to run laps at the indoor track at the Student Rec Center for free--yippee!

Much to Danny's consternation (I don't know why the man is never cold), I have been making the kids wear long underwear to school. They love it because as soon as the come through the front door, they theatrically rip off all of their clothes (ala Clark Kent) to become superheroes.

Grey ghost and grey ghost.