New York City, November 13, 2014

★★★★ Sharply, attentively unpleasant, rebuking every hopeful assumption. A nice, bright, it’s-cold-now-but-pretty morning went gray before the last bit of pre-commute work got done. The clouds were mottled or tessellated at first, and then they were solid, the light dim. It was too cold to stay out on the fire escape to field an interminable customer-service transaction on the mobile phone. This was November, and demanded respect as such. Darkness came thudding down earlier than an early exit from the office, and with it came flecks of cold water. Then the droplets were bigger than flecks, and then a drizzle was falling.