A year of sobriety - could you do it?

I read with great interest this article by Jill Stark, health writer apparently, who also liked a tipple far too much from the sounds of things. She went a year without alcohol, and labelled it a "declaration of war"

Well, she didn't actually, but she said it was almost like declaring war.

Why is this?

Why are teetotallers expected to toe the line with the drinking fraternity and not the other way around?

My dad is a teetotaller, only because he doesn't like the taste of the stuff. His doctor once prescribed him a "small glass of red wine" to deal with a heart condition, and thought that news would be greeted with shouts of joy. Instead, dad said "is there something else I can take?"

He now has 2 small pieces of good quality dark chocolate a night, and is happy as Larry.

My uncle, also a teetotaller, made this wry observation when asked once too often "why not join us in a wine?", "Why not join me in an orange juice?"

Why not, indeed.

I think a lot about my relationship with alcohol. I think it's a lot better than it used to be. I don't use it as a crutch or as social lubricant. But I often wonder why I drink at all? It's part taste, but also part cultural.

When I am out with friends, it seems downright unsociable not to partake in a glass of wine. At a cocktail bar for a friend's birthday? I would feel uncomfortable ordering a Shirley Temple or any other variety of non-alcoholic beverage.

When alone at home, I will often have a glass (or two) with dinner just to make it feel more like an occasion than just fuelling my body.

I wonder if I would be able to do a year without alcohol.

Could you?

Natasha's Adventures in Cab-land... A taste of things to come.

I have had a long-standing love-hate relationships with Sydney cab drivers. They love talking to me. I hate getting caught up in these strange conversations with them. When I tell people about the conversations I find myself unwittingly getting into, it sounds like I have made them up, or at least exaggerated.

None of these stories are exaggerated.

They are verbatim.

Thus begins the episodes to be known as "Natasha's Adventures in Cab-land"

Someday I may make something of them, perhaps illustrate some of the more interesting ones.

Who knows. At the moment, it's a bit of fun.

March - my month of money minimalism

Have you ever heard of those "No Spend Challenges"? Well, I am about to do one for a month.

While I whittle away my waistline I have something else that needs fattening up. Between moving out, setting up house and forgoing the income I used to get from renting out my apartment, I have noticed my savings are in dire need of a boost.

So I decided that March is a good time of year to put the kybosh on unneccessary spending.

Here are the rules.

1. Shop for groceries once a week - ONLINE.

As I have a fairly strict eating regime these days and I am not doing any massive entertaining, I have a fairly predictable grocery shopping list. Trouble is, when I shop in person there are always a few "discretionary" items that make their way into my basket ("HEY! Who put that cheese in there?"). I tried out the online shopping experience last week, and it worked perfectly. I shopped directly from my list, I ended up getting a lot more than I actually paid for (I put this down to them wanting to overdeliver rather than face complaints) and I wasn't tempted.

2. Bills get debited directly from my account

This is not a new thing. I am obsessed with tracking where my money goes, and it just makes things a lot easier when you can reconcile your accounts electronically.

3. No cash in my wallet

Say what again? That's right. I am going to get through the month with zero cash. I have my weekly travel card. I have a full tank of petrol if I need to use the car. I make my lunches and snacks. We have a coffee machine at work. What more do I really need?

I worked out that most of my cash purchases happen BECAUSE I have cash at hand. If I am forced to make a conscious decision to purchase something, it has to be necessary.

4. Only drive if I have to

This will be tough psychologically, but it shouldn't be. I only bought my current car because I was living in the suburbs and commuting cross-country. I never used to own a car when I lived in the city. Owning a car makes you very lazy in finding ways to get around. So I am committed to public transport for the month. Only drive when I have to go more than 20km (which includes family visits).

5. Entertainment has to be free

This will tie into some of my other challenges on my bucket list, of things to do in Sydney. I have signed up to "things to do for free in Sydney" websites and lists, and it will be fun to amuse myself this way.

6. Freeze the cards

I am going to literally freeze my debit and credit card in my freezer. They won't be in my wallet at all. If there is a genuine spending emergency (which there rarely is) I will have to wait until they defrost. In which time I bet the emergency will pass.

February - photo a day

February got off to a slow start, I didn't actually take a photo a day for the first week. In fact, I was told that February 7th was the day that New Years Resolutions are in most danger of being abandoned, and it was February 7th when I realised I had abandoned my photo a day challenge.

However, these days I believe in the power of getting up, dusting myself off and continuing without beating myself up whenever I do things "less than perfectly".

So February may have faltered at the start, but finished strong!

Kinda like my philosophy of living these days.

So here are February's offerings, in no particular order!

The current installation in front of the Museum of Contemporary Art. I wish I had stood in the centre of the path so that this was more a front-on shot. However, I am still learning about composition of photographs, so I am sure you will all forgive me! I have since seen some amazing photos using the mirror effect of this sculpture. It gives you that "insignificant ant on the face of our planet" feeling.

This was a pre-dawn shot I captured on Bondi Beach, where my bestie and I did some soft sand walking during our weekly "get up and just effin do it" exercise sessions. While this doesn't have quite the same appeal as one of my sunrise shots, I love that it captures the eerie pre-dawn feel and the yellow of the morning sky is quite ehereal.

I have walked up and down Albion St countless times and never once noticed this heart. It was an apt start to the "month of love", and the first photo I took. The location is a side street next to the NSW Sexual Health Clinic on Albion St, Surry Hills. It appears to be made out of plastic bags, woven into the chain link fence.

This is the obligatory sunrise shot I took on Bondi Beach, the same morning of the earlier pre-dawn photo. There were actually 100s of people on the beach that morning, doing some kind of exercise or other, but I love that this shot has a single walker, looking out at the ocean. It was one of those moments that you blink and miss if you are not ready for it. Shortly afterwards the sun broke over the mountains and the sky lost that wonderful glow that is reflected on the sand.

This is my favourite cheese shop in the world. It has 2 double counter of cheeses, and a staff full of cheese experts (or if not expert yet, enthusiastic!) I have spent over half an hour with a cheese server there and sampled various cheeses until I devise the exact combination of flavours that I am going for. My all time favourite would be Pecorino Tartufo, a white truffle infused hard cheese with a bite to it. Mmmmm delish!

I struggled framing this shot. The iconic fountain at Darling Harbour has probably been captured in a much better frame than this, but at the time we were there I was trying to capture its water ripples and snail-like construction without the kids playing in the centre and the dozens of people milling about its edges, This was the best I could come up with.

Possibly the most self-indulgent shot of February's set of photos, but I love that it is a couple shot without being a traditional couple shot. We were mucking around at Tropfest Film Festival when I tried taking a photo of Ian and noticed my reflection in his glasses, which gave me the original idea. However, it worked better with him reflected in my glasses.

Ahhhh love's reflection ;)

I know this shot shows I am not travelling 1st class... and is one of the sins of "Ten overused Instragram concepts" (along with food porn), but I love this shot. It's so peaceful and pretty. The blue of the sky is endless. And the shot is  damn well composed as well, thank you very much!

Another overused concept, but WHO CARES! PRETTY!!! OH SO PRETTY!!! This was taken on the Coogee to Maroubra section of the Sydney Eastern Beaches Coastal Walk.

Heritage listed stairs in Frog Hollow Park, Surry Hills. This is the park next door to my apartment block, and I hardly ever use the park (or the stairs).  I am going to start doing more of a walking tour of Surry Hills and taking a tour of its Points of Interest that I can find.

These stairs, still at Frog Hollow Park, are not heritage listed, but I just like photos of stair cases. I might make this a theme.

The lone busker at Central Station that I blogged about in "The Unexpected Gift". His music is truly uplifting. He can be found most mornings outside the arches entrance to the station at the intersection of Foveaux and Chalmers Sts just before Eddy Avenue. 

St Marys Cathedral at night is just breathtaking.

Another self indulgent shot taken with my "Retro Camera" application on my phone. It was taken in the dark with the flash on. I like the effect it gives my face, quite illuminating!