#356: Sharpie Makeover

Upper West Side

Now maybe I'm just casting aspersions here, but I strongly suspect that might have been what happened once that No. 5 split.

#357: West Side

Chelsea, NYC

#358: On Atlantic Ave

Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn

Ordinary numbers, cool light fixture. A little secret on Atlantic Avenue that you might catch if you remember to look up.

#359: Chelsea Lineup

Chelsea, NYC

Stylish, sharp, and standing shoulder-to-shoulder: Chelsea numbers that reflect the Chelsea architecture. And, for my riff that has nothing to do with aesthetics whatsoever and everything to do with the eleventh-hour announcement that the NHL lockout is over, some Chelsea Dagger. It's a Chicago hockey thing, and right now, it's music to my ears.

#360: Lunenburg Lament

Lunenburg,Nova Scotia

I do love a visit to a good old-fashioned port town. When one like Lunenburg, Nova Scotia comes along and offers me its breathtaking charm, romantic harbor views, maritime adventures, delicious seafood dinners, and riveting tales of historic insurrections, I'm the dork who comes back from holiday with a bunch of pictures of numbers floating in some polyresin solvent. Welcome to my photo album.

#361: Sharp Objects

Pittsburgh, PA

I love the asymmetrical slant to this one, which might be whimsical but isn't thanks to the sharply cut edges, no-nonsense stencil work, and sober-colored brick anchoring the whole image. Another shot captured while on tour with Balthrop, Alabama. I missed going out on the road with the band this year because I was busy with readin', 'ritin', and 'rithmetic. But it's good to go back and 'reminisce.

#362: World's Best!

Greenwich Village, NYC

This reminds me of those "World's Greatest Dad" mugs or "#1 Brother" pencils I used to buy at my elementary school's annual pre-Christmas fair ("Santa's Secret Shop" I believe the bustling lunchroom was called for one capitalistic day), that mind-boggling array of hunks of crap  useless garbage trinkets and do-dads we'd proudly purchase with money inevitably "borrowed" from said World's Greatest Mom or Dad. My mom still has one of these mirrors I gave her, a surprisingly hardy red plastic affair that she still carries in her purse, though that was a more modest one that just said "MOM." I'm sure she received her share of fawning "Awesomest Coolest Mom, Like, Ever" knick-knacks from four kids and countless seasons of Santa's Secret Shop gift-giving, but looks like the simple approach fared best in the long run.

Now I don't know how my other 362s would feel about this tendentious "World's Best" boast, but to avoid any hurt feelings, let's just say -- if anyone asks -- they're all the greatest, too.

#363: Replete With Tree & Garden Gnome

Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn

In keeping with the holiday season, I thought I'd post another cheery neighborhood wreath pic. The harsh winter light on a sunny January afternoon makes a walk through Carroll Gardens all the more beautiful, one of many reasons I have no problem bragging about this neighborhood I almost live in. (This "almost live in" has nothing to do with me being nomadic. Technically, I'm on the border of about three neighborhoods, so it always feels disingenuous to lay claim to only one.)

You know who else has no problem bragging about this neighborhood? Realtors! And just because I'm curious, I sometimes do a quick scan online of some of the buildings I pass by to see if I can learn anything about the apartments whose souls I ignominiously snatch with my camera.

Because I can't afford to do anything with a Brooklyn apartment apart from, say, replacing my mailbox key, I sometimes get caught up with other aspects of real estate, like marveling at the hyperbolic writing and strange verbal contortions found on realtor's websites. Call me a simpleton, but I liked this building from a quick gander at the cool red door and brickwork, but did you know that this place boasts "a rec room large enough to house a california king"? Or that there's an "intimate front yard, replete with tree and garden gnome"?

Now whether you think "intimate" is the adjective you want duct-taped to your "yard" is a personal matter. But imagine my sadness when I learned that this co-op with its "most valued vestage of American Living: YOUR OWN HUGE GARAGE" was already sold, thereby banishing me to the cruel sidewalks once again. Oh Brooklyn I love you, but you're bringing me down.

#364: Numberspotting in New England

Pittsfield, MA

Not much beats driving around Massachusetts on a snow-covered, sunny afternoon, but spotting a large, photogenic 364 out the window of your rental car when you really, really need it sure comes close.

#365: Wreath Havoc

Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn

For someone who likes counting down, I really loathe countdowns, so I thought I'd slip back into the stream of things with minimal fanfare and absolutely zero suspense. But since you're here -- and hello there, nice to see you again -- you've probably noted I'm up to my old tricks again. That's right, lest the Ampersand Seven number line go too long untended, 2013 will see the return of the beloved number-a-day as I trot out the new collection from 365 on January 1st all the way to 1 on December 31st next. It seems I just can't resist an odd numbered year.

It's been an eventful stretch for me in the meantime, as I'm sure it's been for you. I've been novel-wrangling (revising is no longer the proper word for what I do at my desk, though it's what I say in polite company), number-collecting (old habits die hard), debt-gathering (chasing after a Master's in English/Comparative Literature at Columbia University), ice hockey-playing (a reckless, ill-conceived, and simply awesome new pursuit I've been blogging about over here, in case you missed it), and more. But I miss sharing my numbers, and I'd love to hear from you if any of the posts call to mind any of your own stories or thoughts, so do chime in if you feel the inkling.

My challenge for the year will be to post a run of brand new numbers for 2013 featuring the usual riffs and rambles, but seeing as I've run out of ends on which to burn my candle, I may from time to time go quiet or call upon the ghosts of number lines past to fill the space. If I do, I'll be sure to wring my hands and make it quite public, but I figured a little cheating here and there beats the threat of another year-long blackout. In the new year, you can expect a new visual treat each day and some possible tweaks as I do my winter cleaning, thinking, and updating. But it's nice to be back, and how could I resist when I had this holiday-themed 365 just waiting in the wings? Wishing you all a very happy new year, and see you soon.