After a weekend of thunderstorms, it was cold, gray and ominous in New York today and I found myself not only wearing pants (something I’ve categorically refused to do for two months) but also donning autumnal hues of pumpkin, sage and plum (neon-satchel-functioning-as-sun-lamp not included). It was an inescapable reminder that after tomorrow it will be August dog days, time will lose its linear quality for a little while and the bittersweet (mostly bitter) smoldering away of summer will begin.