New York City, October 7, 2012

★ Forthrightly unwelcoming. It was not going to be anything other than gray and chilly; there was no reason to expect not to be rained on. Time to set aside any ideal hopes about an October weekend and invest in the day that was. Take the accumulated bones in the fridge, three kinds of meat on them, get out the big steel pot and a can of tomatoes, and make the commitment to stay tethered to the kitchen. An exploratory open window let in a draft that confirmed that outside was no place to be. Sometime after dinner, with no clear dividing line, the last light of day was replaced by the glow of light pollution on the clouds. Drizzle glistened on a stone bench. The people who had to be in it equipped themselves with umbrellas and scarves.