Totems are shared by groups--

Like, say, fans of Supernatural? Although I did not swallow the model Impala, I still feel all totemic about it.

Totem is one of those line-walking terms. It's an Ojibwe word, and has specific meaning among Native and First Nations peoples. Like many other things, it's been borrowed for wider use.

I'd say fandom objects would definitely be more totemic than purely personal items because of the former's shared nature.

Fascinating guy--also came out to me as gay, so that was one long conversation, as well as needing ADA from HR (he's scared too). All in our first real convo.

That's a lot! I'm sure he was grateful to have a sympathetic audience.

The doctor said it's very unlikely I've had a stroke, but he ordered an MRI just to be safe.

...fingerstones...The fingers find texture soothing, and hopefully the mind follows.

For me it's more about the shape than the texture, but I think the idea is the same. I always carry what I call a "fidget piece," which for the last 30 years has been a spoon-shaped piece of wood about 1" x 2" originally intended to be a keychain fob. It helps me deal with anxiety and nervous energy.

The doctor said it's very unlikely I've had a stroke, but he ordered an MRI just to be safe.

So far I like this doctor. Marriage material? (For me, not you).

I'm sure he was grateful to have a sympathetic audience.

He's an older guy, so he had a lot to talk about too--big collector, loves Nancy Drew, knows everything about everything about every book. Fascinating. Needless to say, I suggested if he wanted a good binge show (I can learn about hyperfocus!) I suggested Supernatural, so we'll see how that goes.

He was just really nice. Very good about "I can do this better/faster/more easily" and "You are quick at that, so do that" without making it sound like there's any value judgement.

When one puts on red lipstick and combat boots to take control of the work day, I'd imagine one is summoning the power given by us to red lipstick and combat boots by virtue of how they're used and who uses them. Does that make them communal enough?

Ugh, new people moving in. Projecting voices so far.

Another cautionary tale: if one were to put a ziploc bag full of pureed strawberries on one of the shelves in the freezer door and allowed it to kind of smoosh around the little bar that keeps things from falling off the door shelf, said bag would become very difficult to remove once it froze solid.

So far I like this doctor. Marriage material? (For me, not you).

Possibly. He interned in Canada, so he told me if he was in Canada he wouldn't have ordered an MRI because of the wait and the low odds of a problem. He said that we have all these problems in the US with guns and whatnot, but at least in the US it's easy to get an MRI.

Eta: oh, forgot to mention that he's funny.

said bag would become very difficult to remove once it froze solid.

Small mallets carefully applied.

edit: useful in many different situations.

I don't have mallets that small (I really want to say "not even the rain has mallets that small"). I'd be a-feared of breaking the plastic bar, also. I'm very fond of this refrigerator/freezer.

I'm thinking maybe careful application of hair dryer, but not today.