New York City, August 31, 2016

★★ Sometime in the night it became impossible to leave the windows open. By morning the humidity was dread-inspiring but harmless as long as the clouds held. People were out all along the wall of the office building in the neutral dampness, eating or smoking or smartphoning. As the sun found its way through, things quickly got unpleasant. The light mercifully faded away again, then rallied unexpectedly. A reddish pit bull sat very upright, gazing out the open rear side window of a parked luxury SUV while the stereo played.