Okay so. You have all these clothes, some fabulous, some good ol’ reliable standards and some that you’re not quite sure how you ended up with them. Now, how are you supposed to figure out what to wear? I’m sure I’ve mentioned several of the following points in various other columns over the past year and a half, but today I’m going to try and give you a compressed version of how to put together an outfit.

DEBUNKED!

Sun Weather Columnists Brian Crandall ’10 and John Cintineo ’09 recently analyzed weather data during the Cornell Days of the last several years in order to find out whether there does in fact exist a “weather machine.”

The Cornell Days weather machine is commonplace discussion during the period when accepted high schoolers come back to decide whether they will make Cornell their home. The myth often conjures up thoughts of President David Skorton pulling a lever and making the clouds disappear. But this current of bout of beautiful weather raises the question of whether there is in fact a machine, and what it actually does.

Last Friday was quite possibly one of the ugliest days of the year. Amidst the down pour, the wind and the negligible sun, I had the great fortune of showing around a family friend who had flown 2,000 miles across the country to come see Cornell in its springtime beauty. But who are we kidding … spring in Ithaca? After the warm, sunny, flip-flop weather I had just experienced the day before, I found myself in a relentless struggle to convince this prospective student that it’s not always like this. “If you were only here yesterday,” I told him, “you would fall in love with this place, I promise ... trust me ... please?” The more and more I talked in circles, the more I realized I wasn’t really trying to convince him. I was trying to convince myself. But why?

Students walk past a winter maintenance sign posted on the pathway near the Andrew Dickson White House last Wednesday.

Bone-numbing cold spread Monday from the Midwest to the East, forcing millions to bundle up and scurry from place to place. Snowfall in northern New England topped 40 inches in one town, and travel remained disrupted as the days ticked town toward Christmas.

"It's so cold, it feels like needles are pricking my eyes," grumbled 19-year-old Ashley Sarpong of Chicago, a fur-lined hood pulled around her face Sunday. "This is the coldest I've felt all year."

Temperatures in Chicago were expected to be higher Monday — but still only in the single digits.

Apart from northern New England, snowfall was relatively scant in the Midwest and East, but ice and high wind whipped up snow along roadways and made driving hazardous for holiday travelers.

It’s 11:00 on a Tuesday night. Ensconced in the velour of my most comfortable robe, I lounge about my sofa, soothed by Burt Bacharach’s mellow tenor. Scented candles bathe my room in muted light and aromas of French vanilla. My roommate is at his girlfriend’s, and I have the place all to myself. The mood is perfect for my date with myself.

GALVESTON, Texas (AP) — Officials were stung by an ill-fated attempt to let residents and business owners "look and leave" their hurricane-battered city, which only created frustrating traffic jams for two days. Now, their message is clear: Stay away from Galveston.

There is talk of opening the island in pieces, but that plan is not yet ready. An attempt to let evacuees return home all at once quickly devolved into a logistical nightmare that left traffic backed up for 20 miles. That only added to the evidence that Galveston Island is far from ready to return to everyday life.

"We could not accommodate that many people at one time," city manager Steve LeBlanc said. "We were hoping to have more of a trickle of cars than a tidal wave."

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Firefighters on Tuesday faced worsening weather conditions that pushed flames across firebreaks in parts of inland California and chased residents out of one small community.

Along the coast, however, an evacuation order was lifted for a lengthy section in the scenic Big Sur area.

The weather change came from a high pressure system setting up over the entire West, said Mike Smith, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Sacramento. "So in addition to the very warm temperatures we're getting, we'll also be getting a little bit of offshore wind ... which keeps the moist marine air from coming inland," he said.

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Sunny conditions on Monday helped road crews deal with the remnants of a blustery snowstorm that blacked out thousands of homes and businesses and was blamed for at least 22 traffic deaths in the upper Midwest.

Sgt. Michael Melgaard of the Wisconsin State Patrol in Eau Claire said driving conditions improved substantially for holiday travelers starting in the late morning.

"The roads were clear for the most part and traffic was moving at normal speeds," he said Monday afternoon. "It seemed like there was a lot of steady holiday traffic, but it's starting to wane now as people are getting to their destinations."

Deckhead:

Excessive rain linked to crop, road and mood problems

Article body:

The start of the school year is a bittersweet time for Cornellians. As memories of exotic vacations, endless days of doing absolutely nothing and tans begin to fade, a pleasant, painless transition seems little to ask for. Alas, it is not in the forecast. All that is in the forecast is rain, rain and more rain.