It was in the 60s all last week, then we got our first taste of crappy winter weather this week, and now it's nicer, again.

For those of you who are new to the Kansas area, allow me to burst your bubble: One of the dubious joys of Kansas is the unpredictable weather. We have been known to get warm sun, rain, ice and snow all in the same day, and not necessarily in that order.

If you have ever complained about the weather and a Kansan told you to wait for five minutes, they were being serious. If you have never seen a thunder snowstorm before, now is your chance.

Welcome to Kansas.

By now, you might be thinking, "How do people survive in this crazy place?"

Good question. I have been here for most of my life, and I'm still not used to it. Some Kansas natives choose to pretend they are impervious to weather. These are the jokers you see wearing shorts and flip-flops all winter long or walking to school in the rain without rain gear and getting soaked to the bone. I suspect they are the same jokers who cause all those colds and flus to pass through campus every couple weeks.

If you'd like to have a few handy survival tips that might make your stay in the Land of Oz more tolerable, I just so happen to have a list. Natives may want to take note, too, unless you actually enjoy getting sick every week. To each his own.

1.) Three things you should have in your backpack at all times are an umbrella, tissues and lip balm.

Wearing a hoodie in the rain is useless. You still get soaking wet and miserable, and you look ridiculous, so stop it already. You can get a small, collapsible umbrella that fits into any book bag for less than $10 at Wal-Mart.

Those little travel-sized packs of tissues are less than $1 apiece. Get yourself one, and stop sniffling and snorting loudly in class while I'm trying to concentrate on a test.

Don't forget lip balm. It's a handy item to have around because your lips can become chapped in the span of a day during the winter. Put some on whenever you step outside to protect your lips. Chapped lips are not sexy on either gender, especially when it gets so bad the skin starts peeling off, making your lips look furry.

2.) While you're at the store, break down and buy yourself an ice scraper. A real one.

If you continue to use your driver's license, it will snap in half. Also, don't forget to clean the snow off of your headlights, tail lights and license plate. The cops are already annoyed with you if you are talking on a cell phone or not using your turn signals. You really don't want to give them any more excuses to pull you over, do you?

3.) Get some toe socks. You too, gentlemen.

You know how, when you wear two pairs of socks on a really cold day, the inner layer somehow twists around so you are walking on the seam? I have the perfect solution: buy socks with toes on them. It doesn't matter what they look like because nobody will see them, even if you take your shoes off if you wear a normal pair of socks over them. Trust me, you'll be infinitely more comfortable than you would be in flip-flops.

There you have it: a shopping list of about $20 that will keep you warm, dry and comfortable.