In which it might be unhealthy, but I refuse to turn on the heater

Fall is here! At night it feels like the Texas winter. Iowa City hasn't hit freezing yet, but the low temperatures are in the high 30s, low 40s. This morning I re-set my alarm to get one more hour of slumber, and when I finally rolled out of bed at 8:20 in scrubs and a t-shirt I quickly realized two things:

1. Damn! My down-comforter is nice and toasty!
2. Shit! I might have to break out the wool tights today!

As you may know, I have firmly maintained the opinion that the only way that I survived my first midwestern winter was to refuse myself instant warmth. By this, I mean that I would not break out my winter coat until the temperatures were in the 20s. I would wear layer upon layer of cotton, but I refused myself the wool tights or the wool sweaters, until it was too cold. I knew that if I brought out the big guns too early on, it would only get more frigid outside and then I would be at a loss. I hope it was not an act of admitting an early defeat when I put together today's outfit for a high temperature of 51 and a low of 37:







boots: Naturalizer via JCPenney
socks: Target
tights: Sock Dreams
skirt: Anthropologie
shirt: thrifted
cardigan: Urban Outfitters
blazer: thrifted
scarf: London street vendor

I'm going to have to start wearing gloves, though. When I'm riding Alonso (my bike):




down the steep hill to campus, my fingers freeze painfully in the rushing wind. I don't want to stop riding my bike until it snows, either. We'll see how that goes.

In other news, my students filled out mid-term evaluations yesterday. For the most part they were pretty standard. In general they admitted to liking the class more than they thought they would, and a vast majority described the instructor (that's me!) as "cool" and "smart" and "enthusiastic." A surprising number thanked me for being so enthusiastic because my energy kept the class from being boring. Here are some highlights:

-Do you have any suggestions for improvement for the course?
"Outback. Please. <3" [one of my students mentioned that she works at Outback in early September and now the whole class wants to go on a field trip to there]
"MORE MUFFINS!"

-What is your overall impression of your instructor?
"Dope."
"Crazy in a good way"
"Person: execellent teacher: pretty good"
"Supercool"
"I love you"

-What are your instructor's strengths?
"not ugly."
"this class, literary stuff, Firefly knowledge, Dr. Who trivia and other sci-fi"

-What are your instructor's weaknesses?
"She's a hipster."
"We never went to Outback or got muffins."
"Too much enthusiasm"

-How would you rate your instructor's knowledge of the subjects addressed? Does your instructor effectively convey this knowledge?
"Yes, she displays her greatness."
"knows knowledge like the back of her hand"

-Does your instructor communicate with the class in a clear manner?
"Yes, speak good texan-american"