New York City, November 25, 2012

★★ Wan sun and flimsy clouds vied to abandon the day to each other. Through midday, the sky was stuck on patchy gray. There was a firm chill, one well-defined step further down toward the depths of real winter. The cold seeped into ungloved fingers, though not enough to make it worth digging out the gloves; condensation beaded inside the window of a dumpling cart. In the afternoon, against the trends and apparent odds, it was the sun that emerged as the winner. Or loser.