Baby, It's Effin' C O L D Outside!

Seriously? SERIOUSLY? It was 19 degrees out this morning. Nashville is NOT supposed to be this cold. This is like bullshit Chicago cold, and my dear bloggo-buddies, I DID NOT leave Chicago because of it's balmy fucking weather.

I left Chicago in January of 2005. I had my kitties tucked in the back seat along with as many plants as I could haul in my car (they all died, by the way). I left on January 25th and had already dug my car out of 12+ inches of snow four times. As I was heading out on I-94, it started to snow. I rolled my window down and flipped Chicago the finger. You can take your lake-effect freezing temperatures and shove them up your ice-cold butt, Illinois.

This rant comes on the heels of some new information: that I will be heading overseas in January. Oh, the joy that is my life. I HATE going to China in the winter. It's even more depressing than it already is. Dirty and cold is less tolerable than dirty and hot, in my opinion. Some might argue this point with me, but I'd tell them to go spend 8 hours in an unheated factory and then decide.

I have been able to avoid this scenario for the last couple of years. I've been able to travel in March and April when the weather is more predictable. Perhaps wet, but not cold. Not this year, oh-budget-conscious-friends. I gotta go when they tell me to go and January it is. Mother-effer. I am NOT looking forward to the weirdness that is the Chinese (and perhaps other cultures, I'm not sure) way of dealing with the cold. I don't think they believe in heat. I know that many areas lack the resources to heat their establishments and I get that. In some cultures, they believe that multiple people in a room with heat will make everyone sick as hell. There is some merit to this theory, but germs live in the cold and heat, folks. I was in a meeting in a high-rise building in Hong Kong in January several years ago. The room was small and the window was WIDE open. It was below freezing outside. I closed the window (I'm the customer, I can do that). I left the room, came back and the window was open again. I closed it. This little back and forth went on a few more times before I closed the window, turned around and said, "I'm freezing my ass off. If any of you open that window one more time, I'm outta here." It stayed shut. However, a small room in Hong Kong does not compare to a 50,000 square foot factory showroom that doesn't even HAVE heat. Standing on a concrete floor for 8 hours does not a happy Thirty-Something Bride make.

It is SO hard to pack and know what to wear. I have to look somewhat "professional" so it's not like I can wear some ski pants and call it a day (I have contemplated this). Lots of times I go directly from an airport to a factory and back to an airport all in one day so it's not like dressing for the tundra can be easily accomplished. Also note that winter gear is bulky and heavy and I have to pack for about a month and be able to transport all my own luggage (including laptop roller/paperwork) solo.

On top of all this bullshit, I have what's called Raynaud's Syndrome. Basically, it's a response to extreme cold. Blood vessels in the hands and feet appear to overreact to cold temperatures or stress. With Raynaud's, arteries to your fingers and toes go into what's called vasospasm. This narrows your vessels dramatically and temporarily limits blood supply. Over time, these same small arteries may also thicken slightly, further limiting blood flow. The result is that affected skin turns a pale and dusky blue color due to the lack of blood flow to the area. Once the spasms go away and blood returns to the area, the tissue turns bright red before returning to a normal color. When all this lovely stuff happens - it HURTS. The tips of my fingers/toes start to feel like they've fallen asleep. Then they go completely numb. Where the vessels have clamped shut and the blood stops flowing is where the pain is as the blood start to pool and cause pressure. When the vessels finally open up (gotta get them WARM!) the blood rushes in and that hurts too. It sucks.

So instead of investing in what I would like to buy the lovely holiday season:

Hello over-the-knee Stuart Weitzman. *le swoon*

I'm trying to figure out a decent pair of WARM boots that won't weigh a ton and look somewhat cute and can be yanked on and off at airports without have to completely undress myself.

These are kinda cute and have an elastic stretchy thing on the back. I think these would be an easy on-off boot.
These have a bit of a groovy factor to them, but not sure how warm they would really be. I like the stacked heel though - puddles.

These Sketchers look delish and zip on the side.
These are on the cheaper side and still cute and potentially warm.

Anyone got any suggestions for warm boots? UGG Boots are out, just so ya know. I refuse to pay $200 for giant slippers. Warm, yes. Practical in any sense of the word - no.

P.S. All the boot pics are from Zappos. I'm a VIP member. LOVE them.