Sunset: 6:24pm. Moon: Waxing crescent. Cloudy with a high of 66 degrees and a low of 57. Finally, a semi-autumnal day with proper gloom. Took the Q down to 34th Street to load up on ramen, pork shoulder, gochujang, bok choy, and extreme-flavored shrimp chips from H-Mart and Woorjip.

A dog-sized rat scurried along the subway platform. Everyone pulled out their screens, cameras ready to flash, and two people nearly fell onto the tracks. Everything feels like a metaphor these days.