By Duncan on 24 July 2007 15:58

After a few hours of fighting with a Friendly URL generator for DotNetNuke, I've managed to get it to work.

For those who don't know, the URL is the bit that appears in the top of the browser, such as http://www.dunknet.net/books-and-writing.aspx

What this means is that links in my site should now be pretty much all text based. So instead of a link with lots of &, ?, =, there should be a descriptive title instead. It won't make a blind bit of difference to anyone except possibly the search engines.

Thats it for todays useless bit of news!

By Duncan on 22 July 2007 11:44

Only since I started going to dance classes have I worn far more fancy dress. My collection now includes wizard's cloak, cowboy hat, wigs & beards, a magician's cane and various other bits and pieces.

Yesterday evening saw me walking the streets of Exeter in pink trousers and jacket, dressed like Sinbad or Alladin. A jewelled belt, plastic cutlass (doubling as a scimitar) and big black moustache finished off the costume, although I only got a few strange looks.

When I got to my Arabian Nights party, I found most of the men dressed in jeans and shirts, although the women had nearly all made an effort, between silk scarves and belly dancing jangly things. Luckily a sheik and semi-arabian dressed men did turn up later . There were two girls dressed as lions, who had been told that it was an African party.

A massive effort had gone into decorating the house, with a bamboo structure in the back garden, draped in silks and festooned with candles, cushions, rugs and lamps. It was very atmospheric.

...

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By Duncan on 18 July 2007 12:45

I've updated the book reviews section, most recently with a look at Wolf in Shadow by David Gemmell, possibly my favourite author.

I'm also still waiting to update the forums, and hopefully DotNetNuke will bring out an updated version in the next couple of weeks...

By Duncan on 16 July 2007 11:54

Instead of lunch at lunchtime on Saturday, I was instead dancing in the middle of a busy Exeter High Street, demonstrating for a local jive night. It wasn't what I had had planned when I woke up in the morning!

After receiving an email at half ten saying they were desperately short of people to demonstrate, I turned up wandering if any friends would see me prancing around in broad daylight. The answer was yes, as one sent me a photo on my mobile phone that afternoon, wondering what I had been doing in the high street.

For most of it, there was only two of us dancing, trying to focus on the basics as curious passers-by paused to watch. Its a lot different to a normal evening with a sprung dance floor and lots of others jiving at the same time. There were others with us, but most just handed out flyers, not wanting to be seen jiving in public.

It was a strange experience, but at least I didn't drop anyone onto the concrete paving.

 

By Duncan on 15 July 2007 12:34

I've now camped three times in Cornwall, and there is a common theme.

The first time was on a school activities week. It rained then and was miserable.

The second time was a hockey tournament down at Penzance. It also rained then and was miserable.

Last night was dancer's 40th near Lizard Point, and, yes, it rained and was miserable.

Maybe I should avoid Cornwall. Except that I'm camping there again next month and expecting even more rain. It also doesn't bode well for the canoeing and camping in Wales I agreed to last night.

Apart from trying to sleep through the rain on the tent at 3 in the morning, I did have a good time in Cornwall, where a barn had been done up with birthday decorations and a proper dance floor. There were an abundance of cornish pasties, gorgeous desserts and free for all on the barbecue, which meant I ate far too much (always a result of free food). Bloated and dancing don't always mix particularly well.

Gary Marsden from Taunton played good music...

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By Duncan on 12 July 2007 12:18

Only two weeks until the Transformers Film hits the UK (Or a week if I was organised and went to an early screening), my hopes of a good film are crushed and childhood memories brutalized.

Having said that, reviews from the US have been surprisingly upbeat. It might actually be entertaining!

By Duncan on 11 July 2007 13:07

 While preparing roast chicken for my lunch, it occurred to me that I should make a stuffing for it. A quick search on the internet turned up recipes with such outlandish ingredients as onions, sage, celery, parsley, thyme and apple. None of which I had in the house at the time.

I went with what I had to hand, and so my stuffing had wholemeal breadcrumbs, an egg, butter, ginger, garlic and the final ingredient of a tin of tuna. It turned out surprisingly well, and although it was kinda strange to taste tuna alongside roast chicken, I have cooked (and tasted) far worse.

Although maybe next time I'll get some apples, sage or onions. 

By Duncan on 10 July 2007 18:40

Once again it's nearly time for me to indulge in one of my favourite hobbies - Fantasy Football. The website for the new season opened up over the weekend at http://fantasy.premierleague.com/ and my team is created ready for kick-off on August 11th.

I have created a DunkNET league for anyone who wants to take part. Details are here.

As I've proven year after year, you don't actually need to know anything about football to do well at Fantasy Football. In the three seasons I've played so far, I've never been to a match and have watched at most half a programme of Match of the Day after several beers. Apart from watching bits of some European games and the occasional look at the BBC pages, my knowledge of the Premiership is fairly lacking.

A grounding in maths and games is general is a help though, and I have experience of both. To me its an addictive and fun pasttime. I've also won a couple of hundred pounds on side bets and league prizes in the past .

...

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By Duncan on 09 July 2007 12:37

For over a decade, Sunday afternoons and evenings for me have been dedicated to gaming, usually up at the university. But this summer I've decided to try and improve my salsa at bar Venizia on the Quay in Exeter. And so far I'm loving it .

There's an hour and a half lesson ffrom 7 for beginners up to improvers, then freestyle from thereafter. They also play a couple of tunes during the night where some basic foot patterns are practiced. The atmosphere is relaxed and friendly, with a range of beginners, some really good salsa dancers and a mixture in-between. Several of my friends who do modern jive were there this week, and it looks like they'll be back for more.

So come join us on the quay for salsa. It might even be sunny at the same time, though don't count on it if the last few weeks of weather continue.

By Duncan on 30 June 2007 10:49

Lunch yesterday consisted of an Eat All You Can experience at an Exeter restaurant called Gino's. In the past we've been to Chineses and Pizza Hut, and this is the best I've been to. Spaghetti, pasta bakes, pizzas, garlic bread and salad were all there, with enough non-meat options to keep vegetarians happy too.

I ate all I could, found the variety and quality to be fine, and had a two hour period to enjoy it all in . With a price of 4.99 for the whole lot, I know where I'll be meeting people for weekday lunches in the future in Exeter.