Hump Day & Chill: The Christmas Eve Edition

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Monday Motivation

Special Delivery
Hugh Jackman

OK, it's almost here, the Big "C" draws nigh...and you know what's on my mind? Indulging in Holiday Cheer while still honoring all the hard work I put into my body and not letting it all go to waste.

So who better to inspire us to that mind set than Hugh Jackman. With a mere two days to go behold, unto you Monday Motivation is bestowed in the form of The Jackman! Because, well, he's jacked.

While I pretty sure my body will never reach the heights of what his has. Mr. Jackman does inspire and motivate nonetheless.

He has a great upper body, which is my problem area. I have obtained bigger arms of late and am regaining some of the ab definition I lost when I was laid up for four months post surgery. Hugh is motivating me to stay focused.

Not to mention he has a package for all of you on this last Monday before Christmas. It's in plain view and what a nice view it is, if you get my drift (I think you do.)

Time to MM minions!

Hugh on IG -
https://www.instagram.com/thehughjackman/?hl=en  

3 More Days...

Muskrat Love?
Kristin Cavalarri & Jay Cutler 

Yep only three more days, if you have to ask until what, then I guess you must be living under a reindeer. Thus I thought we would celebrate today with the too cute for Christmas Couple Kristin Cavalarri & Jay Cutler.

With the Season 3 premiere of Very Cavalarri looming on Thursday, Jan. 9 at 9 p.m. ET, I thought perfect because commerce is part of what Christmas is all about. Don't pretend it isn't minions. 

Now that we got that our of the way, moving on, forward never backward, especially not sideways.

Other than the commercial tie in, this shot of the couple made visions of the video for the song Christmas Wrapping by The Waitresses dance in my head. If you aren't familiar that's what YouTube is for.

So now that I have some sort of Holiday feels, I guess I should think about spreading some Holiday Cheer. "Yes" it's time to Ho, Ho, Ho!

Kristin on IG -
https://www.instagram.com/kristincavallari/?hl=en

Just Because...Margot Robbie

Hello Gorgeous
Margot Robbie

Just Because...I don't wanna Christmas, Just Because...Her hot buzz film Bombshell opened this weekend & Just Because...I am one of her fans, that's correct Minions - Heeeeere's Margot Robbie.

Margot was snapped in a snazzy navy blue dress entering the Jimmy Kimmel Live! show in Hollywood. I think she could wear potato sack and make it look good.

Obviously she was promoting Bombshell which just opened this weekend. A film which I intend to take in either today or tomorrow depending on how things go with my schedule.

I have been a fan of Robbie ever since I saw her excellent work as Tonya Harding in I, Tonya. What's that? "Yes" I know she had done other films before that, and while I had heard of her, as well as them. I have never viewed any of her work prior. 

Moving on, I hope you have a Bombshell free day, unless it's at the movies!

Margot on IG -
https://www.instagram.com/margotrobbie/?hl=en

Film Buff Friday: Betty - They Say I'm Different

Betty: They Say I'm Different

Before Beyoncé, Madonna and Prince - there was Betty Davis

"Astonishing and tantalising" - The Wire

Arriving on DVD on January 17th via MVD Entertainment Group

Funk Queen Betty Davis changed the landscape for female artists in America. She "was the first..." as former husband Miles Davis said. "Madonna before Madonna, Prince before Prince". 

An aspiring songwriter from a small steel town, Betty arrived on the 70's scene to break boundaries for women with her daring personality, iconic fashion and outrageous funk music. She befriended Jimi Hendrix and Sly Stone, wrote songs for the Chambers Brothers and the Commodores, and married Miles - startlingly turning him from jazz to funk on the album she named "Bitches Brew". 

She then, despite being banned and boycotted, went on to become the first black woman to perform, write and manage herself. Betty was a feminist pioneer, inspiring and intimidating in a manner like no woman before. Then suddenly - she vanished. 

Creatively blending documentary and animation, Betty - They Say I'm Different traces the path of Betty's life, how she grew from humble upbringings to become a fully self-realized black female pioneer the world failed to understand or appreciate. 

After years of trying, the elusive Betty, forever the free-spirited Black Power Goddess, finally allowed the filmmakers to creatively tell her story based on their conversations.

Bonus Materials

- Director Interview: Phil Cox on the making of Betty - They Say I'm Different

- Interview Extract with Betty Davis  

Michael's Musings

Call Me By My Name
Michael Shinafelt

"Impeach he bop and we bop, Impeach you bop and they bop, Be bop be bop a lu she bop Ohh ohh she do she bop" - Cyndi Lauper, She Bop

"Yes" I altered the lyrics of Cyndi Lauper's awesome hit She Bop to reflect yesterday's event. Now we are going to get more bitch baby whining. It ain't over till the petulant POS Trump says it is. Oh, newsflash it is over bloated one, right here, and right now. Because I say so, that's why!

Lick my tacos Squirrel Wizard!

Knock three times if Satan's doing you up the booty

Choir Boys singing Christmas Carols, discuss...

My 54th Birthday was yesterday, what did I do? Pretty much nothing, yep that is awesome when you are 54!

What am I doing this weekend? Seeing Bombshell 

I love you! Now I need a Popsicle 

The Pooping Pooches 2020 Calendar is real. "Yes" you to can get a different dog taking a squat for twelve months!

Is there anybody out there? Asking for a friend

Woman Crush of the Week - Charlize Theron who portrays Megyn Kelly in Bombshell. My movie pick of the week.

I love Christmas, just not as much as a big fat _____ it's blank fill it in

Ashley Benson from Pretty Little Liars (one of my fave TV shows) and Brad Pitt share the same Birthday as me. Yesterday, December 18th, yeah I'm in good company!!!

Santa Says: Just Coal For You Whore!

Not the bore worms! If you have to ask, then I ain't gonna tell

Your spreading rumors about me? At least you found a hobby spreading something other then your legs!

I'm here for you at:
https://www.instagram.com/michaelshinafelt/?hl=en
https://twitter.com/MShinafelt  

Hump Day & Chill - Happy Birthday To Me!

54 Pick-Up
Michael Shinafelt

Happy Birthday To Me! "Yes" it's today, thus I thought I would celebrate by reminding myself of who I am and where I've been. When I think about it, it's quite a journey. Cheers to me turning 54 the best is yet to come!

Weight Loss is a very personal journey. It is one that has to be done for the correct reasons or it is not going to work, I repeat not going to work. Take it from one who said they were going to do it several times before they actually did. I am 5' 7 and said I was going to lose it when I was 180 lbs. I then said I was going to do it when I was 190 lbs. Then I reached 200 - yep I said I was going to do it again then too. Well guess what I didn't do it until I reached 213! By then I fit into none of my old clothes (well that happened at 180 to be fair) and only bought things that work with my expanding waist line i.e. large shirts, drawstring pants etc...

Sometimes you have to lay your pimp hand down! Yep, this is when I finally decided to drop the weight and drop it noooow! It's about wanting to feel good about yourself. It's about claiming who you are. It's about, as Janet Jackson so directly put it Control. "Yes" weight loss is about taking control of who you are and being in a positive mind space. Life is a journey we are not going to be who we are one hundred percent of it. This being stated, once we allow ourselves to access who we are on an honest and real level then we can do anything! 

Who are we to judge ourselves? The first step to happiness is to accept who you are and deal with it. Life is not about perfection it's about acceptance. Does this mean you have to like everything? Hell to the Fucking  No! It means deal with it and find out what works for you. That is exactly what I did.

Being authentic is the best gift you can give yourself. Start there, make your weight loss journey about your happiness. It's not about pleasing anyone else. I can tell you I found a wonderful guy with a six pack when I was 213 lbs. He liked me for me, because despite the fact that I was overweight, I still had some self esteem. Of course he loved the fact that I lost it. But it was because I wanted to. Doing it for yourself is the key to victory. 

I decided to take this journey when I was 51. Thus proving you are never too old and you are never too late. Honestly I was tired of looking like a balloon in the Macy's Thanksgiving day parade. 

Thus one day I got out of my bedded stupor (I suffered from clinical depression for three years prior, was treated and learned how to manage my life through therapy and anti-depressants which I have not been on for over four years now) and said: You've got this Mother F#cker! I wanted my outside to match my inside. I wanted to like what I saw in the mirror. 

And so the journey began...I started with the best diet I knew: fruits, veggies & meat. Although you should eat lots of meat, protein anytime of day is acceptable. You should try to do your fruit aka sugar that is acceptable in the ayem and veggies round the clock. Sound boring? It truly isn't, it's all a matter of reprogramming your way of thinking. 

OK, I will admit it isn't easy. When I started for every 5 pounds I lost, I gained three back for a long time. The key is I did not give up. That would have been an easy thing to do. Get discouraged and throw in the towel. I owed this to who I am, not who I wanted to be. I am this person who wants this from themselves, not what anyone wants from me. It's about who you are and what you want. “Yes” I have emphasized this before. But it is the key element to what I am stating.

As I continued on this journey I kept moving adding in more exercise to what I had been doing. FYI weight loss is an 80/20 proposition - 80 percent what you consume 20 percent exercise. Exercise is to keep you and your mind healthy and focused. It's also there to take the weight you have lost and make it look fab! One of the unexpected benefits of me dumping the weight is doing my weekly routine of: Spinning, Abs, Weights & Yoga I have achieved definition in my stomach for the first time ever at 53 years old. Imagine that?! 

What that you ask? Do I still drink alcohol? The answer is "Yes" but in moderation. Honestly at this point two glasses of wine gets me tipsy. That's what Uber is for. (call a driver, don't drive drunk!) Do I  have cheat meals, you are damned right I do. Most of the week I eat clean, but there is that one day a week I eat, not like a pig. But I will eat something not on my diet and in moderation. I have a thing for pizza, burgers, Mexican food and my ultimate favorite snack is brie and crackers.

OK, now I'm hungry for some In-N-Out Burger, but I had pizza yesterday so it's off limits until next weekend. The one trick to adhering to healthy eating habits is to reprogram your way of relating to food. Don't think of it as depriving yourself, because you aren't dieting you are eating cleaner and more efficiently. I view my changed eating habits as being good to myself. Also reminding myself of all the hard work it took me to get there and not wanting that effort have been a waste of time. I remind myself of how great I now look naked too. Hey, that's a big one!

Speaking of big ones, certain other things appear to have gotten bigger when I lost the weight. Another unexpected, but welcome change to my body. If I can do it, you can too. Trust me you've got this!

Continue my journey with me at:
https://www.instagram.com/michaelshinafelt/?hl=en
https://twitter.com/MShinafelt