Fred's Ramblings

I recently came across a small backup utility that has quite a few options. What is appealing to me is that it is easier to manage than many of the more complex backup software that is available for purchase or download. It is called Toucan and it can be found on GitHub or on the PortableApps site. I downloaded it as a standalone installation from the PortableApps site and installed it as I would any other piece of software.

Rather than trying to list the features of the software here, it will be just as easy for you to navigate to the site and read all about them while the software is being downloaded. It is a small download of 6MB and will take up 21MB of space once it is installed. I think it is well worth the download and will allow you to back up your important data. Here is the link for it. Toucan Backup Utility

I will be interested to hear your thoughts about it…use the comments module attached to this article.

A little over 4 years ago, I was diagnosed with Celiac disease. I certainly wasn’t expecting it and I didn’t really know what that was. Here is how Beyond Celiac defines it…

Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease that’s triggered by consuming gluten and results in damage to the small intestine. When a person with celiac disease eats gluten, the immune system sees gluten as a threat and mounts an attack. However, it ends up damaging the villi of the intestines, which help to digest food. Damaged villi make it nearly impossible for the body to absorb nutrients, leading to undernourishment and a host of other issues.

I was having some stomach issues and lots of diarrhea which seemed to last longer than I thought it should. It took quite a while to finally get the diagnoses…an endoscopy and blood work finally confirmed the diagnosis and all of a sudden, the way I ate and specifically what I ate became a big deal. Until you deal with this issue, you have no idea how many foods contain gluten. Wheat, barley and all of their derivatives all contain gluten. Such foods as pasta, bread, beer all contain gluten and as such are no longer on my list of edible foods. Whenever I buy anything new, I always check the ingredients to make sure that I don’t get glutened eating something I shouldn’t. There are applications out there that will tell you if a product contains gluten…it is one of the most used applications on my phone. Granted, finding gluten free foods is considerably easier today than it was 5-10 years ago, but there is no cure for the disease, so I am stuck with it.

What has also happened is that I can’t go out to a restaurant and feel comfortable that I won’t be affected, even though they will carry menu items that are “gluten free”. The problem is that at a restaurant, the preparation of their menu items are all done in the same general area and for a celiac patient, that is a problem due to the cross contamination that is almost assuredly happening. I understand…the profit margin at a restaurant is quite small so having a separate prep area for gluten free items does not make sense. Therefore, a night out is most likely going to end up with at a minimum, a stomach ache and likely also many trips to the bathroom. On the positive side, I have just confirmed that I can drink Scotch because all of the gluten has been distilled out of the wheat used in most Scotches.

For any Dodgers fan, they are in their rightful place atop the Western Division of the National League. It has taken a lot of work and some of the players playing up to their potential, but they have finally reached the top of the division. The big task now is to maintain this level of playing for the rest of the season so that they can enter the playoffs in a good position to hopefully again reach the World Series.

As noted, the Arizona Diamondbacks are tied for second place with the Giants and to count them out would be a mistake as they have shown that they have the mettle to make this race an interesting one. Colorado is in its usual place at the bottom of the heap, but I think everyone is surprised at the San Diego Padres sitting in 4th place. The Dodgers have a precarious 2 game lead at the moment that can change at the drop of a hat, and it is quite possible that the Padres will make themselves heard before the season is over. This should be an interesting race going forward.

Back in June when the weather around here was unseasonably cool, we knew that the “Dog Days Of Summer” were coming and lo and behold, they have arrived. According to Farmer’s Almanac, the dog days of summer usually occur between July 3rd and August 11th. They’re usually the hottest and most unbearable days of the season.
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