thelifeofthefuneral

Does anyone else wake up and feel exhausted? Like you ran a midnight marathon... I generally turn in around 11pm - not ridiculously early; I have shit to do, but I am by no means a night owl any more (being 30 is knackering!)! I wake up around 7am and normally get up 30 mins later - God bless the snooze button! So I am getting around 8 hours a night, so why do I feel knackered before I am even in work? I started to suspect this tiredness, and the resulting foul mood that lasted all day, was nothing to do with the amount of sleep I was getting (quality of sleep is a different subject!) but was rooted elsewhere. A few months ago I actually sat down and made a record of what I was eating.  What we fuel our bodies with has a huge effect on everything: mood, energy, happiness, stool consistency! The result: I was completely reversing any gains or progress I made in the gym, and worsening how I felt.  It wasn't awful - the odd KFC, or pizza, but it was devoid of

I can't relax. I don't have the ability.  I was hyperactive as a child, so maybe this is where it comes from. But I can't relax.  I try to put this to good use.  I try to be productive all the time, but the downside of this is I get more stressed out if I am not productive, I feel guilty when I do relax and I end up very frayed and burned out regularly. The first time I felt truly relaxed as an adult was 8 years ago, on my first trip snowboarding in Sauze D'oulx in Italy.  I had had a rough year and I remember sitting down on the mountain one day and feeling at peace.  I was physically drained but I was fired up with adrenaline and I was completely alone on this section of mountain.  It was snowing, it was cold, I had a wet arse, the clouds had closed in so visibility was low.  And I felt safe and happy for the first time in a year. I think this was my introduction to meditation, looking back. I am no expert, but I feel there are two ty

Some years ago, I worked for a well-known photography retailer.  As an avid photographer, this seemed a dream.  But the mixture of low-pay and having tasty gear waved in front of your face all day long took its toll.  I left and stopped taking photos as I felt my kit was not able to replicate the image I saw in my head. I have since realised this is not true at all, having enjoyed using a few different iterations of the iPhone to take photos. But 2 years ago, now in a position to do so, I bought myself a Canon 70D.  I use a mixture of lenses:  Canon 50mm f/1.8  Canon 24mm f/2.8 Sigma 10-20mm f/3.5 Canon 70D with Sigma 10-20mm f/3.5 The big advances have been in the way the photographer can edit and share their photos. So here is a list of my favourite apps for editing photos (all on iOS, not sure about Android!) --- Darkroom |  Lens Distortions |  Lightroom |  Photoshop |  Mextures --- I tend not to use any filters available on Instagr

This is my first blog post.  Ever What will my blog be about? Music Photography Design My Band My Cats About me: I'm James, I am from East London, I am 30, I play in a band called Counties, I take photos occasionally, I am studying Interior Design from home. I will try to post weekly at least.  Let's see how long I can keep it up! My social media: Instagram: @thelifeofthefuneral Twitter: @CountiesJames My band: Insta: @CountiesUK Twitter: @CountiesBand