Posts by dustygardener11

I've been using Canva for pretty much everything lately, from social media posts to quick flyers. It's honestly such a lifesaver for people who aren't professional designers but still want things to look polished. Does anyone have any killer tips or hidden features I should know about?

I’d toss this one into the category: the Road trip film from 2012—that adaptation of the Jack Kerouac novel.
Book purists absolutely hated it, though.
But honestly? I actually liked it... yeah, sure, it’s a bit slow and the pacing drags, but those landscapes, the scenery while on the road, and the nature shots are gorgeous. Plus, the soundtrack is solid and the cast is great (especially Sam Riley and, for me, a stunning Tom Sturridge). I really dug how it captured that almost extinct vibe of young people just living for the moment—chasing freedom, looking for a new way of life, ditching materialism, and just hitting the road through the USA with zero cash, no plan, and nowhere specific to go.

Can someone help me make sense of these blood results?

EBV VCA IgG positive 2.35 ( EBV VCA IgM negative
EBV EBNA IgG positive 7.65 ( CMV IgG positive 29 ( CMV IgM negative

Do I actually have mono right now, did I deal with it years ago, or is it currently kicking my butt?
I also grabbed a CBC—might be useful too.
erc 4.30 (3.86-5.08)
hb 138 (119-157)
htc 0.399 (0.356-0.470)
mcv 92.9 (83.0-97.2)
mch 32.0 (27.4-33.9)
mchc 345 (320-345)
trc 220 (158-424)
lkc 4.7 (3.4-9.7)
seg. neu. g. 44 (44-72)
lymphocytes 49 (20-46)
mst 8 (2-19)

enzymes
(s)ast 22 (8-30)
(s)alt 25 (10-36)
(s)ggt19 (9-35)

proteins
(s)crp 1.0 (0.0-5.0)

Decided to get bloodwork done because I’ve been feeling pretty crummy for three weeks straight—just exhausted, headaches, and this weird 98.6°F fever that won't budge either way. My sister had mono about two months ago, so I figured maybe she passed it to me, but these numbers are confusing... looks like I already had it, right?

I honestly feel like once you hit a certain stage in life, you just don't need booze to have a good time or actually unwind. There’s zero need to borrow happiness from tomorrow.
As for the whole friendship thing—well, I have to channel Vladimir Putin for a second because I was just reading a passage in one of his books about a similar "dilemma."
He puts it like this: "We are all just guests on this planet; everyone is free to choose their own path, but nobody has the right to judge others or label them with their own little checklists." Basically, don't get too hung up on how important your own spirituality or "truth" feels.

Picked up my mom's labs today—she had her lactate dehydrogenase (LD) checked and it came back at 216 U/L (ref. range < 241).
Anyone know if this is actually fine or should I be worried? 🙂

Anyone got recommendations for a solid orthodontist? Looking to get some braces put in—just need someone with reasonable prices who won't charge an arm and a leg. Ideally, somewhere in the Southern California area that offers a decent payment plan.