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This picture is 3 kinds of sexy

Exercise: More on my Blood Type Diet

I am not the athletic type.  Sure, I love to ride my skateboard, bike around town, and walk to Disneyland from the parking structure as opposed to take the tram, but that was about the extent of my physical activity.  Now, I have added Runyon Canyon into the mix.

Runyon at night

Last year, I had a stretch where I was going early in the mornings before work and it was really working.  I think I had lost about 15 lbs but I still wasn't eating right and after Suzi stopped working early-mornings, it was easy to stop justifying the trip up there.  Now, Suzi goes more that I do and I go to try to play catch-up.

This is still the extent of my entire exercise.  I go up the "hard side" and down the paved road about 50% of the time and that usually takes about 40 minutes.  But the other 50% of the time, I am doing what Suzi and I call the "figure-eight."  This is the full 75 minute routine and we rarely stop for more than 10 seconds to catch our breaths.  If it's cool enough, we will jog/run in the flat portions but for the most part, we casually walk it -- and believe me, for the full 75 minute tour, it's smarter to do it that way.

We try to bring plenty of water for the both of us as well as water for the dogs if they come along.  Parking is usually a task but we have our spots to check which 99.9% of the time work out in our favor.  We start from the Hollywood side and work our way up to Mulholland, back around the "Scream 3" house and down the paved road.  Then it's back up the "stairs" path to the bench up top and back down the paved road.

This taxing but beautiful walk is one of the key factors to my recent weight-loss plan and along with eating right, seems to be working out swimmingly.  As of today, I have reached my <220 goal landing softly at 217.6 this morning and still shrinking.  I cannot tell you how life-changing this diet has been.  I've said it before and I'll say it again, the fact that it's working is motivation-enough to keep going.

A view of Runyon during the day.

Give Runyon a try, if you haven't already.  There's parking up top for you valley-kids off of Mulholland (about 1 mile east of Laurel Canyon) or down below on Franklin in Hollywood.  And give the "hard side" a try.  It's really really rewarding when you reach the top!

Party Down and other things from this week.

I have been CRAZY suck over the past few weeks. But with sickness comes the watching of new shows. I had only heard of "Party Down" from a few co-workers and that was it. I have always loved nearly everyone involved with this project but had never even heard of this show.

Now, I have watched both seasons in full and am SUPER bummed out that it's gone. I do love that I can see Adam Scott in "Parks and Recreation" every week but his relationship as Henry with Casey and Roman and Kyle and the rest of the Party Down catering crew was so real and tangeable... it's just a shame it didn't last longer.

I highly recommend you go and cop that -ish on Netflix this week. Both seasons are streaming in their entirety and are waiting to be enjoyed. I have started many-a-show before -- "Arrested Development," "Mad Men," "Weeds," "Dexter," etc. but none had captured me like this show. It will truly be missed!

On another note, the wedding planning is going well! We are about to send out our Save-the-dates, our minister has been ordained, our guest-list is finalized, and we just have a few things to take care of with the venue (fire permits, etc.) In fact, to tie these two thoughts together, if you watch the season finale of "Party Down's" first season, the location their wedding is at is also Suzi and my wedding location! Not the same location on the property but just walking distance. Maybe we will have a "Party Down" themed wedding and both get married in long-sleeved collared shirts with pink bow-ties. Hey, it could happen!

I am also working on a few projects that will be added to my web reel soon as well as some projects that will take you to an entirely different site! If you have actor or director friends or you are in need of a reel, hit me up! All the recent reels I have done are up at www.dparke.com. I am also writing a script with a good buddy for a short film that we hope to shoot more than likely this winter (after the wedding.)

MobileMe: Recently I took to the twitters and the facebooks to ask what people thought of MobileMe vs. Gmail. I got my responses and have made my decision. I am now switching over to MobileMe full-time. I will still get the emails sent to my Gmail address but will no longer be using that address. If you'd like my new email address, just hit me up and ask!

I think that covers a plethora of things going on in my life right now. Let me know if I should do more update-y type stuff here or not. Maybe this will be like my "Doogie Howser, M.D." journal.

EightBit.me

Check it out!

Starbucks is Awesome

I recently wrote a letter to Starbucks when I went in to get my Pumpkin Scone and Pumpkin Spice Frappuccino -- one of my favorite festive combos I treat myself to each year -- and was told, "...the Pumpkin Scone is a seasonal item and is no longer offered for this year."  I have since found out that that Starbucks was mis-informed or something but I was told with such assurance that I had no reason to question the barista.

Starbucks is awesome and sent this letter back to me:

Click to Enlarge

How awesome is that?!  AND I got quoted.  Well played, Starbucks.  Well played, indeed.

Gingerbread House!!

A couple of weeks ago, Suzi and I were at Trader Joe's and I saw this gingerbread house kit.  I wanted it really bad and basically made her buy it... and it sat.  It sat for a few weeks but last night, when it was crazy rainy and we had already watched two movies back-to-back, i pulled it down from atop the fridge, and this is what came of that gingerbread house we made whilst watching a season 1 marathon of Jersey Shore.

Enjoy!

My Reel

I did some maintanance on my online editorial reel. Check it out here!

More 8-Bit

I have been so inspired by Addison's 8-bit character design that I have now created this for the Kevin and Bean show.

I don't think I am going to show it to them yet as I might add Doc on the Roq and Producer Alex and I want to make sure credit goes where credit is due.  The character design is just so simple and fun, I am having a ball playing around with different looks, etc.

I would love feedback if you have it!  And be sure to follow Addison's EightBit.me on twitter!  Soon everyone will be able to create these awesome little dudes!

8BitMe

My Buddy Addison Kowalski made this awesome tutorial for how to create your very own 8-bit-style profile picture!  I made the one above by watching it and I think it looks pretty awesome!

The tutorial is embedded below.  All that's needed is:

• Photoshop
• The following are optional
• a computer
• a mouse
• a keyboard
• a monitor
• power
• eyes
• arms
• a torso
• hands (left and right)
• fingers (all 10 preferred.  5 on each hand if at all possible)
• hand-eye coordination
• ears
• a working knowledge of the english language

I'd love to see what you all come up with!

My Oscar® opinion and some other things

I am glad Avatar didn't fare well -- although should it have won best cinematography? Does it even count?! I think not. I agree with Hurt Locker winning everything it won although I wanted Inglorious Basterds to win best picture and original screenplay. I was kinda shocked to see The Hurt Locker take that one. Also learned that adapted screenplay also counts if the original work was a short film (District-9) which I thought was kinda interesting!

I'm glad Sanrda Bullock won because she was the best thing about that crappy movie but I was kinda routing for Gabourey Sidibe. That would have been pretty awesome for her as an unknown young lady.

So that wraps up my Oscar® things. I also started a twitter page on which I will write twitter thought that are only 140 characters long. It's been done before and will be done again but I couldn't find anyone who did it well or at all after setting up the page. (I'm looking at you @140characters and @only140...)

Anyway, that's what's up. I also went to Disneyland this weekend and it was pretty much the best visit I have had in years. We got our own Tower of Terror elevator, saw new stuff at the Blue Sky Cellar, saw Captain EO which was just about the coolest thing I have ever seen, ate a good meal at the Plaza Inn, got our own Pirates of the Caribbean boat, and had an AMAZING time on The Haunted Mansion. SO good!

You're jealous and this wasn't written well.

fin.

PS: I ordered business cards. This is what it looks like.

i LOVE this POST SECRET!