It’s a week before Christmas, and Oakland is finally having temperatures that really feel like the holiday season. When I went out to my car yesterday, there was frost on my windshield! That hasn’t happened to me since I moved to California (more than ten years ago). Given that this is the closest to East Coast winter weather than we’ve had in more than a decade, it’s particularly interesting to note the number of people who are still dressing like it’s August. The guy in this drawing was sitting with his back to the window at Noodle Theory, a restaurant so small that, no matter where you’re sitting, you are pretty much guaranteed to get a taste of whatever the outside weather feels like. I was cold throughout lunch, and looking at the man in this drawing, who was wearing a short-sleeved summer polo shirt with a t-shirt underneath, made me feel even colder. He, on the other hand, seemed just as comfy as if he was wrapped in a down comforter.

Ajuan Mance