This must be how the other half lives. Or whatever fraction of humanity lives where winter is a serious business.

The scene: A day off, in the apartment, wearing shorts and a T-shirt, talking inside my head.

“Hey, I feel a bit uncomfortable. Has the AC been set too low? Maybe I have circulation problems? My hands seem a bit stiff.

“Where is that ratty ol’ blue sweatshirt? Oh, yeah, on the chair, from the other night, when the AC also was apparently set too low. Thing needs to be fixed. What a hassle.

“Sweatshirt on. That’s a bit better. And the hood? Maybe so; that’s why it’s there. And my ears seem to be a bit numb. Weird.

“And those extra-large jeans … maybe I will put those on. A little more substantial than the shorts. Yes. That’s better. And socks. Maybe this calls for socks, at least for a little bit. Until this weird sensation passes. Really, it’s like somebody set the AC too low, on a weekend, when not as many machines are running in the newsroom, and then you notice the cold air blowing down on your head. Like that.

“And out here on the balcony … a bit of a breeze, and it’s not the searing blast of overheated air — like opening the door to Hell — we are accustomed to, here in the UAE. It’s a bit … I guess ‘cold’ is the word again.

“After an hour of this, I can’t be sure, but … I feel like my skin is dry. Too much dish-washing, probably. The skin on my knuckles … I have this bizarre notion that my skin could split and bleed if I bumped into anything.

“This is so strange, I’m going to do some research. Google search for ‘Abu … Dhabi …. weather’ … and, whoa! High of 72? Overnight low of 54? What the …?

“Winter? Is this winter? Have we gone from ‘not killer hot’ and right past ‘nicely warm’ to ‘kinda cold, actually’? Yes, we have. I don’t necessarily have a fever and chills … it’s the atmosphere!

“And thinking about it, I have to consider the notion that I really would not want to spend long tracts of time in a place where it is any colder than this. Even if I would have a heater, and winter clothes, and more than one ratty old sweatshirt.

“I can see, now, how somebody from cold, gray, wet Britain would put up with the summers here to escape weeks — months, even, maybe — of this kind of thing.

“Better check to see if my sweater is clean. May need to wear that tomorrow. Who knows how long this cold snap could last? Till March, maybe? Crazy.”