A Thing or Two with Claire and Erica

Aaand we’re BACK! We are returning from our summer vacation with lots of updates and some Thingies from the great Tessa Bailey. (If you haven’t read her books yet: WE BEG YOU.)

If you’re looking for good places to start in the Tessa Bailey universe, try It Happened One Summer, Chase Me, and her latest, The Au Pair Affair. She also has an absolutely tremendous TikTok.

Tessa’s Thingies include cleansing wipes for her nose piercing, avocados, Blistex, GXVE by Gwen Stefani’s Liquid Lipstick, Merit (specifically the cream blush and the highlight stick) "Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?" by Taylor Swift, the RedHanded podcast, and Apotheke’s Earl Grey Candle.

Her first romance read was Hidden Fires by Sandra Brown.

Ahead of Tessa’s appearance, we talk LMNT’s Watermelon Salt flavor (thanks Nikki Ogunnaike!), romcoms in action movie clothing, and a London stuffie report (Paddington was there, and we found a Miffy x Liberty London collaboration we didn’t know we needed).

What’s your favorite Tessa Bailey book? Did any Thingies happen during our break? Let us know at 833-632-5463, [email protected], @athingortwohq, or our Geneva!

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You know, this episode from last year is an all-time classic—a real Bobs smörgåsbord if you will. We welcome your updates on all of this! Especially how you’re footwearing for summer rain.

Our rain-clog conversation has reached new heights! As in: We have a Calzuro review for you. 

Holiday shopping season is starting early because the Staten Island Pizza Rat hats are back in stock. 

Now onto romance! For an IRL one, try Julia Allison and Noah Feldman. Fictional romances we love include You, Again by Kate Goldbeck (bonus read: this Vulture story about fanfics-turned-bestsellers by Elizabeth Held), The Art of Scandal by Regina Black, Tessa Bailey’s books including It Happened One Summer, Hook, Line, and Sinker, Fix Her Up, and Chase Me, and Before I Let Go by Kennedy Ryan. Re: sports romances, see Icebreaker by Hannah Grace, The Deal by Elle Kennedy, Kennedy Ryan in general, and this GQ interview with Phillies player Bryce Harper. Also! Let’s talk about Danielle Steel’s desk—Samantha Leach did a good profile of the icon for Glamour—and Rachel Antonoff’s fall fashion campaign (completely unrelated but we love her email roundups to her vet).  

Share the romances you’re into with us at 833-632-5463, [email protected], @athingortwohq, or our Geneva!

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Consider this episode—one of last year’s favorites!—an ode to your embrace of the term “regrettably worth it” aka RWI aka something we get asked to define as least weekly <3

Some regrettably worth it submissions from IG (and our brains) include Skims (related from The Cut), sleep consultants for toddlers, law school, putting your phone in another room after 8 p.m., professional framing, going to Ikea, getting your shoes repaired at Leather Spa (see also: New York Sneaker Society), peeling chickpeas, and stretching. 

Do you love car washes as much as Kris Jenner, who compared the experience to Disneyland?

Car accessories that peak our interest include the car trash can, car tweezers, elevated car air fresheners (featuring DS and Durga, Three Potato Four, L:A Bruket, and Hello Adrienne), and, last but *certainly* not least, CarLashes.

Meghan Palmer’s That's so Interesting Newsletter gave us some great insights into car conversations.

What are your favorite car listens—songs, audiobooks, all of it? Share them with us at 833-632-5463, [email protected], or @athingortwohq—or join our Geneva! 

Treat your hair extra-nicely with Nutrafol. Take $10 off your first month’s subscription with the code ATHINGORTWO.

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If mid-July has you a bit out at sea with your routines—show of hands?!—this might be just the right time to revisit one of last year’s hit eps about creativity and exercise. Let’s do this.

For more on morning pages, we direct you to The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. And, a book that comes up a lot despite our mixed feelings about it: Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert. 

A YouTube vid Erica followed to write a novel, as recommended by Mary HK Choi.

Some workout wardrobe staples include unitards—check out Girlfriend Collective and Héros—and the posture-correcting sports bra from Forme (more from Fast Company).

If you need a work-out pep talk, you can always count on Coach Bennett. (And while we’re here: Thanks for programming this ep, ​​Sarah.)

How do you keep going with exercise? Are you a morning-pages person? Let us know at 833-632-5463, [email protected], or @athingortwohq—or join our Geneva! Grab a Secret Menu membership for more, more recommendations.

Let this greatest-hits ep be all the proof you need that things are still a mess! Should you need supporting evidence, might we direct you to Leah Chernikoff’s recent article for Harper’s Bazaar on the topic?

On gel manicures: Uché Blackstock is going to keep getting them, and Claire is too—but now with Maniglovz to protect her hands from those UV lights (and with CND Shellac whenever she can).

For a one-coat at-home mani, Olive & June Cosmic, Pleasing Pearly Tops, and Dior Glow deliver a shimmery, sheer finish. A listener said Dazzle Dry is one of their Thingies, and multiple of y’all have called-out Londontown Kur Nail Concealer (

Why *wouldn’t* we revisit any entertainment property—this podcast ep included—starring Channing Tatum?! Behold, one of last year’s hits, for your (re-?)listening pleasure.

What do the critics have to say about Magic Mike? Here’s Shirley Li at The Atlantic, Emma Specter at Vogue, A.O. Scott at the NYT, Richard Brody at The New Yorker, Bob Mondello at NPR, and Kyle Smith at the Wall Street Journal. 

Channing’s look right now! Specifically this Met Gala pic and this Variety cover! He and Zoë Kravitz share a stylist, Andrew Mukamal (who was featured on Kell on Earth—see also: this Interview interview with Kelly Cutrone).  

If you’re into the business side of Magic Mike, check out WSJ’s story “For Magic Mike, Channing Tatum Looked for Strippers Moms Could Love.” As for Channing’s other creative projects: Sparkella, Born & Bred Vodka (more from BonApp), and the much-hyped romance novel he’s writing with Roxane Gay. (Unrelated but also totally related, Tessa Bailey’s reverse-harem romance Happenstance.)  

Oh, Girl Scouts, preparing girls to meet the world with courage, confidence, and character since 1912! We love the logo redesign by Collins, and if you need a cookie source, buy them from Troop 6000, a first-of-its-kind program designed to serve families living in temporary housing in the New York City shelter system, or from trans girls around the country. 

Another scouting org we love: Radical Monarchs, which creates opportunities for girls and  gender-expansive youth of color—this doc is great.

Share your Magic Mike reviews with us at 833-632-5463, [email protected], or @athingortwohq—or join our Geneva! And for more recommendations, try out a Secret Menu membership.

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We’re back with some new nyms, a report from Paris, housekeeping news, and more!

Steve Dolinsky bravely tackles PIGUE (Pizza I Grew Up Eating) Syndrome head-on. 

Time for a Paris report! Shoutout to the Moxy hotel in the Marais for its ideal location. Shopping for men’s clothing? Stop by Cuisse de Grenouille, LA panoplie, and Le Mont Saint Michel. For kids, go to Petit Bateau, Monoprix, Bonton, and the top floor of Le Bon Marche. Sabre Paris also has the cutest kids' flatware. We also recommend a visit to The Musée des Arts Décoratifs, specifically for the exhibit "The Birth of Department Stores," La Grande Mosquée de Paris, and Roland-Garros (you know, next year). 

A bonus shoutout to When Women Ran Fifth Avenue by Julie Sato.

Thank you to the Dear Media team for a very long run! Extra high fives to our lovely producer Olivia Meade!

Do you have a personal PIGUE? Share it with us at 833-632-5463, [email protected], @athingortwohq, or our Geneva! See ya in August!

Take care of your hair with Nutrafol. Take $10 off your first month’s subscription with the code ATHINGORTWO.

Ready your wardrobe for summer with Johnny Was and use the code ATHINGORTWO for 20% off your order.

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Listen, spending the summer in Paris isn’t in the cards for us, but spending an episode with Glynnis MacNicol talking about 1) her summer in Paris 2) her book about it, I’m Mostly Here to Enjoy Myself and 3) her Thingies…a surprisingly close second.

Glynnis MacNicol’s memoir I’m Mostly Here to Enjoy Myself is out this week! We also love her previous book No One Tells You This and her podcast Wilder, about the life and times and lasting impact (for better and/or worse!) of Laura Ingalls Wilder.

Glynnis’s Thingies include VIO2 Mouth Tape, not putting moisturizer on after retinol (she likes La Roche-Posay Retinol B3 Serum, ideally purchased in France!), Last Summer directed by Catherine Breillat, and Garnier Ombrelle Face Sun Protection.

The books she mentioned: Speedboat by Renata Adler, Middlemarch by George Eliot, The Guest by Emma Cline, Swimming in Paris by Colombe Schneck, and The Cost of Living by Deborah Levy. 

Re: the golden age of podcasts, we’re very excited about A.J. Daulerio’s The Small Bow Podcast, Nice Talk with Nikki Ogunnaike, Lemme Say This with Hunter Harris and Peyton Dix, and Fashion People with Lauren Sherman. 

What are your Thingies? Share ‘em with us at with us at 833-632-5463, [email protected], @athingortwohq, or our Geneva! 

Prepare your wardrobe for summer with Johnny Was and use the code ATHINGORTWO for 20% off your order.

Give your nails polish with Olive & June—20% off your first Mani System when you use our link.

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Some philosophies on dealing with customer service-heavy moments, the benefits of estate sales, and some plane-travel RWIs.

Things to shove in your summer-travel carry-on (whether that’s an Alex Mill Perfect Weekday Tote or a Lo & Son O.G. 2): a Dagne Dover Arlo Neoprene Tech Organizer, a foot sling, a Sarisun headrest travel pillow (pair with a Lunya Washable Silk Sleep Mask or an Alaska Bear), and a packable duffle like Paravel’s. 

Estate sale curious? @handledestatesales is a great follow, and we’re sending a special shoutout to Bumble Bee Estate Sales in Charlotte, North Carolina.

What are your tips for visiting estate sales? Please share them with us at 833-632-5463, [email protected], @athingortwohq, or our Geneva! 

Revisit the heyday of the department store with the wonderful book When Women Ran Fifth Avenue.

Start reading Line Sheet everything else Puck covers—use our link to sign up for a 14-day free trial.

Get ahead of stress with Stress Relief from Ritual and take 25% off your first month with our link.

Ready your wardrobe for summer with Johnny Was and use the code JWPODCAST for 20% off your order.

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Oooh, do we have some Thingies of you, ℅  Katherine Lewin, the brains behind one of our top shops Big Night and its wonderful new companion cookbook SLASH hosting guide. Also: a listener’s Olivia Rodrigo concert insight that is really quite moving??

Related to FUN + Olivia, this Romper essay by Glynnis MacNichol “My Job As An Auntie Is To Tell Parents They’re Doing Great.” 

Katherine’s Thingies include B Sides Lasso jeans and Nelle Atelier denim, carrying a lady bag along with her Extra Large L.L. Bean Boat Tote, brown mascara (perhaps Covergirl's Eye Enhancer 3D Mascara in Berry Brown?), and Gap High Rise Boyfriend Joggers.

We loving shopping at Big Night, and we’re about to love cooking/having-people-overing from the Big Night book, which has 80+ recipes for 6+ people and just all kinds of tips and tricks. 

Do you have any Thingies or dream Thingies guests? (Oprah included!) Share them with us at 833-632-5463, [email protected], @athingortwohq, or our Geneva! 

Hire with Indeed and get a $75 sponsored job credit when you use our link.

Care for your hair with Nutrafol. Take $10 off your first month’s subscription with the code ATHINGORTWO.

Give your nails polish with Olive & June—20% off your first Mani System when you use our link.

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As we revisit this crowd favorite episode from last year, can we ask you to leave us VMs and tell you how you’re coping with cringe now? Is it changing? What’s to thank (or blame)? 833-632-5463! 

If you’re not getting our newsletter!

Today’s prompt: Nell Diamond’s repost of a tweet from @isabelunraveled. (For more on Nell, founder of Hill House Home, dip into these profiles from New York Magazine and Harper’s Bazaar.)

The Justin Long post. Discuss!

For some cringe backstory: Kaitlyn Tiffany’s story “How Did We Get So ‘Cringe’?” for The Atlantic.

We had to revisit Elizabeth Gilbert’s Big Magic—because avoiding cringe and chasing perfectionism are related…no? See also: Ninth Street Women by Mary Gabriel, David Brandon Geeting’s installment of the Perfectly Imperfect newsletter, and the edition of Kaelen Haworth’s Kael Mail newsletter about ins but no outs. 

Check out Her Country by Marissa R. Moss. Among the themes: how Kacey Musgraves, Maren Morris, and Mickey Guyton gave up on wanting people to like them to find success.  

On finding affection for your younger self: this Anne Helen Petersen newsletter, Jonah Hill’s doc Stutz, the podcast Mortified, Justin Cooley on his role in Kimberly Akimbo, and Mo Willems in the NYT.

A definition of post-cringe; an example of post-cringe: Kaitlin Phillips.

How are you embracing cringe? Who’s your cringe-spiration? You know where to find us: 833-632-5463, [email protected], @athingortwohq, or our Geneva!

Lots of discoveries this week! Including amber wine, UHNWs, Mike’s Bites, people as fonts, customizables, and MORE. 

Mike’s Bites probably deserve a whole documentary, honestly.

Some great customizable things: a whole lot of stuff in Ralph Lauren’s Polo Create Your Own Shop (including a perfect plain baseball cap), Artifact monogrammable canvas bags from Omaha. Monica Vinader’s Nura Tiny Fine Chain Bracelet and Signature Signet Rings, and Anya Hindmarch’s The Bespoke Collection (also: her T mag profile about decluttering).  

If you haven’t read Miuccia Prada Vogue cover story yet, do it!

Some basics we’re loving: Donni’s pointelle tee, Favorite Daughter’s The Mischa jeans and The Jordie jeans, and Richer Poorer’s perfect gray sweatshirt. Worth the resale-site stalking: Wardrobe.NYC’s denim jacket (via Poshmark) and Proenza Schouler long-sleeve tissue jersey tees (via The RealReal).

Ok, what are your thoughts on Costco’s rotisserie chicken? Give us the lowdown at 833-632-5463, [email protected], @athingortwohq, or our Geneva!

New nyms! Thoughtful follow-ups on previous episodes! Romances we’re loving right now! All that and more in your ears right this second. 

Our previous episode about grief led us to the GQ profile "The Dave Matthews Guide to Living and Dying" by Alex Pappademas and “The Jewelry I Wear to Help Me Grieve” by Leah Chernikoff for Harper’s Bazaar and spurred some thoughtful conversations in our Geneva.

More on the perimenopause discourse: Miranda July’s new novel All Fours and The World’s First Podcast’s interview with the endocrinologist Dr. Jordan Geller.

Three romances we read and loved: Yulin Kuang’s How to End a Love Story, Abby Jimenez’s Just For the Summer, and Rainbow Rowell’s Slow Dance. 

What are you excited about right now? Share all your thoughts via 833-632-5463, [email protected], @athingortwohq, or our Geneva!

Prepare to be charmed! We have writer, social strategist, and gal about the internet Peyton Dix hand-deliveringher Thingies. Also: This Ask a Manager post demanded discussion.  

Peyton’s Thingies include Aesop Post-Poo Drops (available in Europe, pals), being bi, Kellyoke, Noihsaf Bazaar, having less screentime, and sharing your location. Peyton’s bonus-round Thingies: wired headphones, SLT, Todaytix, The Situation and the Story: The Art of Personal Narrative by Vivian Gornick, game nights, “Karma” by JoJo Siwa, and Ouai Curl Cream.

Have any new Thingies? Share ‘em with us via 833-632-5463, [email protected], @athingortwohq, or our Geneva!

Hire with Indeed and get a $75 sponsored job credit when you use our link.

Source the good writing tools with ​​JetPens—free JetPens marker and washi tape with any $50 order when you use our link until 6/30/24.

Amp up your garden with Fast Growing Trees—get an additional 15% off your first purchase with the code ATHINGORTWO.

Do your own nails (well!!) with Olive & June—20% off your first Mani System when you use our link.

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We are here to report on our experiences at TWO Major Cultural Events: an Olivia Rodrigo concert at MSG (incredible and moving!) and a screening of The Idea of You (really fun—lots of laughter!).

Fans of the The Idea of You book—if you haven’t read this yet, let’s GO!— join us for a night of trivia on May 1 at The Crown Inn in Brooklyn. 

The Idea of You lands on Prime Video on May 2, and you better believe we’re watching it again.

If you, like most we know, consider Lauren Sherman’s newsletter Line Sheet required reading, tune into her new podcast Fashion People on Tuesdays and Fridays, too.

When you watch The Idea of You, PLEASE share your thoughts with us at 833-632-5463, [email protected], or @athingortwohq—or chat with other Bobs in our Geneva. We probably need to air some reactions, right?!

Score the good writing tools with ​​JetPens—free JetPens marker and washi tape with any $50 order when you use our link until 6/30/24.

Impress yourself and your nails with Olive & June—20% off your first Mani System when you use our link.

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You want more Thingies? We’ve got more Thingies! This time with one of the most charming interior designers around, Billy Cotton, who has a stellar new collaboration with West Elm and a book we love, love, love.

Billy’s Thingies include a Lorezi Milano toothpaste squeezer (paired with Marvis Toothpaste at the moment), Cowboy Carter (but of course), Hillstone (specifically the Bal Harbour location) Elephant and Castle (Michigan Star!), the city of Houston, and, of course, Fruit Loops. 

A few of our favorites from his West Elm collection are this checkered rug, this pepper mill, this etched glassware, and this shell bowl for cereal or anything you please.

Didn’t know we had to announce it, but we’re #teammascara. See: Kevyn Aucoin'The Volume Mascara and Lily Lolo Mascara…and let us know your faves at 833-632-5463, [email protected], or @athingortwohq—or chat with other Bobs in our Geneva. 

Give your hair a boost with Nutrafol. Take $10 off your first month’s subscription with the code ATHINGORTWO.

Get the good writing tools with ​​JetPens—free JetPens marker and washi tape with any $50 order when you use our link until 6/30/24.

Go green with Fast Growing Trees—get an additional 15% off your first purchase with the code ATHINGORTWO.

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We brought back Nikki Ogunnaike, editor-in-chief of Marie Claire and writer of the very good shopping newsletter Self Checkout, to share her Thingies. Also: Closing shift, to the tune of “Closing Time.” 

Ready for Nikki’s Thingies? Great. Try Uniqlo U white T-shirts, Vegamour GRO Biotin Gummies, Uzo liquid eyeliner and pencil eyeliner, and three resources for the good watches: Fashionphile, The RealReal, and Bob’s Watches.

A whole sub-category of running Thingies! Like Coach Bennett’s guided runs on the Nike Run Club App (also: our past episode with Coach Bennett that we still think about), Fabletics Define PowerHold High-Waisted 9” Short, Panache Wired Sports Bras, and LMNT Electrolyte Drink Mix (also a bonus shoutout to Pocari Sweat).

The idea of the closing shift came to our attention via The Everygirl newsletter, and it lead us to think about Mike Bise’s Gap Store Playlists.

Dip into our 2020 convo with Nikki, too!

What are your Thingies? Share them with us at 833-632-5463, [email protected], or @athingortwohq—or chat with other Bobs in our Geneva. 

Give your closet a spring refresh with Nuuly and take $20 off your first month’s subscription with the code ATHINGORTWO20.

Make some new plant friends with Fast Growing Trees—get an addition 15% off your first purchase with the code ATHINGORTWO.

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We’re giving some children’s programming rave reviews, digging into your trending Thingies, and reading a lot into an interesting story about Manhattan’s history. 

Endorsed by Claire (and Cam!) Cosmic Kids Yoga (+ guided meditation!) and Numberblocks. 

People love granola! Now more than ever, according to Global Newswire! If you’re in NYC, seek out the greenmaket seller Baker’s Bounty; if you’re anywhere else, make Bon Appétit's Vanilla-Scented Granola. Also, something that makes us giggle: this 2016 headline from The Cut: “Americans Still Believe Granola is Good for Them.”

People are dyeing their brows at home! Specifically using henna or Just for Men, but Harper’s Bazaar recommends getting brow-specific products or going to a professional. 

After one of y’all shared enstrual discs as a Thingie, we received several votes for Flex —they have disposable and reusable versions. 

Lots of discussion about making natural deodorant actually work. Erica is using Megababe’s Soapy Pits plus Space Bar Underarm Soap. People like Nuud, which is its own ~vibe~. There’s also a lot of discussion about using CeraVe Acne Foaming Cream Cleanser for its 4% benzoyl peroxide—and LOL at the "How to Clean Armpits with Cerave" TikTok page. 

Thoughts on deodorant? Vaginal discs vs. cups? Share with us at 833-632-5463, [email protected], or @athingortwohq—or chat with other Bobs in our Geneva. 

Hire with Indeed and get a $75 sponsored job credit when you use our link.

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This week, we’re issuing some micro updates and corrections before we dive into the meat of this episode: grief. (A content warning, if you will.) 

Some corrections: The Stanley cups are WEARING the backpacks (find a visual aid here), BonBon Swedish candy is having a nightlife moment, and the Pineberry also goes by Berry de Blanc. 

On loss: The LA Times story "How Not to Say the Wrong Thing" by Susan Silk and Barry Goldman delves into the ring theory of grief, and All There Is with Anderson Cooper explores anticipatory grief.

If you care about a person (any person), give Being Mortal by Atul Gawande a read—it offers much good guidance and framing for tough conversations.

A couple planning resources: Policygenius for life insurance and Trust & Will for, you guessed it, trusts and wills.

Share all of your thoughts with us at 833-632-5463, [email protected], or @athingortwohq—or chat with other Bobs in our Geneva. 

Refresh your wardrobe with Nuuly and take $20 off your first month’s subscription with the code ATHINGORTWO20.

Treat your hair to Nutrafol. Take $10 off your first month’s subscription with the code ATHINGORTWO.

This week, we’re talking Thingies with Jo Piazza, author of The Sicilian Inheritance—exactly the escapist, immersive book we want at this very moment—and its companion true-crime podcast…because this woman is one of the most ambitious storytellers you’ve ever encountered, ok? Also: We raise a case for cold-calling your friends, expectations free. 

Jo’s thingies include trad wives (or maybe that’s a Claire Thingie?), Oak Essentials moisture rich balm (s/o to the cleansing balm also!), Freda Salvador shoes and the Jada ballet flats in particular, The Other Two on Max (see also: The State, Party Down, and Girls 5Eva), the podcast Time Capsule: The Silver Chain. 

There was a lot of food talk, naturally: Jo raves about Norah Ephron’s pasta alla cecca recipe, and some Philly restaurants she loves include Friday Saturday Sunday, Trattoria Carina, and Zahav.

Jo’s Italian heritage liaison: Laura Lee of Digging Up Roots in the Boot.

Want more Jo? You are in LUCK! Her new release The Sicilian Inheritance has an Elena Ferrante meets Gabrielle Hamilton meets Liane Moriarty vibe, and it pairs perfectly with this non-fiction podcast where Jo, NBD, works to solve a family murder. And dig into her other books We Are Not Like Them, You Were Always Mine, Charlotte Walsh Likes to Win, The Knockoff, and How to Be Married. Want something to listen to? Dive into Under the Influence, Wilder, Committed, Fierce, She Wants More, and Too Much Money.

What are *your* Thingies? Let us know at 833-632-5463, [email protected], or @athingortwohq—or chat with other Bobs in our Geneva.

Change your clothes with Nuuly and take $20 off your first month’s subscription with the code ATHINGORTWO20.

Hire with Indeed and get a $75 sponsored job credit when you use our link.

See your garden thrive with Fast Growing Trees—get an addition 15% off your first purchase with the code ATHINGORTWO.

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Greetings, Thingiemabobs! We have some wee updates, a Tokyo tour, and an important (to us) conversation about whether or not cropped pants are allowed. 

People are loving the idea of a shower as a room (on of Emily Sundberg’s Thingies!) and were intrigued by this IG reel where @mrsmckennabarry installs a little shelf in her shower for a lamp and a speaker. In more offputting bathing news, Jessica Biel eats cereal in the shower. 

Speaking of cereal! Jacqueline Tse of Mad Brooklyn makes compelling Lucky Charms sculptures.

More tiny things!! LOL at this mini backpack you can put on your Stanley Cup; a case for mini soda cans.

Erica just went to Tokyo and has thoughts on the Muji Hotel and Miffy’s dominance (see: a florist called Flower Miffy: Dick Bruna’s Atelier with Flowers, where the classic arrangement uses a mum for Miffy’s head). We also surfaced an important piece of lore about Miffy and Hello Kitty’s relationship via The Guardian. 

While Erica was in Japan, Claire was reading Bride by Ali Hazelwood (NSFW discourse warning!). For those who don’t know what TF the omegaverse is, this episode of Fated Mates breaks it all down (and the show notes include lots of reading recs).

Grappling with everchanging pant trends after a meeting with Katie Anderson of Mend Tailoring and reading Jonah Weiner’s New York Times Magazine piece about pants. TY to High Sport for continuing to make a strong case for the crop. 

Do you eat or drink in the shower? Let us know at 833-632-5463, [email protected], or @athingortwohq—or get into it in our Geneva. 

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Take a stroll through the grocery aisles with us as we talk about some culinary updates featuring (metaphorical) sausage races and (literal) marshmallow innovations.

The Milwaukee Brewers Famous Racing Sausages show us that we never know how any race will end.

So many marshmallow innovations popping off these days, including but not limited to Stackers, Lucky Charms-shaped jet-puffed marshmallows, Just Magical Marshmallows, Jet-Puffed Bits,  Hello Kitty marshmallows, and, in a rare case of timeliness on our part, Lucky Charms™ Limited Edition St. Patrick’s Day Just Magical Marshmallows. We also can’t help but mention the MMX Marshmallow Crossbow we included in last year’s gift guide. 

Peeps have also been up to some things. Our concerns include Dr. Pepper flavors, dog ropes, "Hanging with my Peeps" merch, and Pepsi’s Peep-flavored soda. For enthusiasts, check out Racine Art Museum’s Annual International Peeps Art Exhibition, and we have to admit we’re kind of charmed by Peepshi.

Fruit innovation! We’re talking pineberries (great in a Marcella Hazan recipe for macerated strawberries with balsamic vinegar!), sumo oranges, raspberry oranges, cotton candy grapes,and pink lemons. 

According to the NYT, chocolate chip ice cream is falling out of favor—very upsetting to us.

What do you think we should name the fruit marketing revolution? Share your ideas with us at 833-632-5463, [email protected], @athingortwohq, or our Geneva. 

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We’re (gladly) diving back into the Miffy-verse, talking cover songs and fortune cookies, and asking the question: How did Google search lose its luster??

As expected, the @miffydances Instagram account is perfection. 

Cover songs—having a moment! Beyond the epic “Fast Car” moment with Tracy Chapman and Luke Combs, 50 Cent's "P.I.M.P.”, by Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band in Anatomy of a Fall, the Kelly Clarkson effect aka Kellyoke, Pedal Steel Noah, Boygenius doing “Cowboy Take Me Away,” Leon Bridges performing Bob Marley’s “Redemption Song,” T Pain’s On Top of the Covers album, the Like a Version YouTube show, and Norma Fraser doing Sheryl Crow’s “First Cut is the Deepest.”

The high five being 47 years old feels, stay with us, kind of like this tweet. Related: High Five by Adam Rubin and Daniel Salmieri is an excellent children’s book by the duo who brought you Dragons Love Tacos.

Fortune cookie–related things include Coming Soon’s nickel-plated version, Chefanie’s giant ones,  and a recipe from Red House Spice.

On the dismal state of internet searching, “The Tragedy of Google Search” by Charlie Warzel for The Atlantic. Other search engines out there: DuckDuckGo, Startpage, and Perplexity, seen in Laura Reilly’s installment of the Why Is This Interesting? newsletter.

Favorite covers, favorite fortunes? You just let us know at 833-632-5463, [email protected], @athingortwohq, or our Geneva. 

Impress yourself and your nails with Olive & June—20% off your first Mani System when you use our link.

Hire with Indeed and get a $75 sponsored job credit when you use our link.

Gift Charles Chocolates—the good stuff!—and get 15% off your first purchase with the code ATHING15.

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Before we get to Thingies with Emily Sundberg, we have an order of business to attend to: ) Our semi-finalists for listener names are here! Thingiemabobs, Loony Twonies, Thingles, and, a late entry, Two Timers. We’ll need you to cast your vote on Instagram, clearly. 

If you don’t already know Emily Sundberg’s work, please subscribe to the “hottest business newsletter” Feed Me and read her iconic stories like “Welcome to the Shoppy Shop” and the “hot girl drink whole milk” piece for New York mag. 

“You may also like” newsletters: Casey Lewis’s After School, Lauren Sherman’s Puck Line Sheet, and Chris Black and James Ellis’s Public Announcement.

Emily’s Thingies include FIT Center for Continuing Education classes, The New York Times and New York magazine archives, making hot sauce, pickles (some of note include Hot Girl Pickles and Grillo’s) neighborhood field trips, poker, and treating your shower like a room. Other loves: Fara Homidi’s lip compact and Soft Services Theraplush.

Share your Thingies with us at 833-632-5463, [email protected], @athingortwohq, or our Geneva. 

Treat yourself to the good chocolate with Charles Chocolates—15% off your first purchase with the code ATHING15.

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We’re thinking big and talking miniatures, reading and listening to a book simultaneously, right-size restaurant empires, the comeback of color analysis, and a stellar Father’s Day gift for all the planners out there. 

A new-favorite mini restaurant empire: Mason Hereford’s New Orleans spots Turkey and the Wolf,  Molly’s Rise and Shine, and Hungry Eyes (see also: his wonderful cookbook, written with JJ Goode). Some other faves: Ann Kim’s in Minneapolis, Suzanne Goin and Caroline Styne’s in L.A., Nancy Silverton’s (also) in L.A., Marc Vetri’s in Philly, and the Hart’s/Cervo’s/The Fly trifecta in NYC.

More on color analysis via Calin Van Paris’s story for Vogue. Related: Kibbe types, c/o The Concept Wardrobe and Vox. 

So much on miniatures! The Guardian article “‘A place where millennials can own a home’: why doll’s houses are having a big moment” by Nicole Cooley, Shrunk magazine, DWR’s Vitra miniatures collection and Champagne Chair Contest, Yuta Segawa’s vases, Tatsuya Tanaka, and the (40th anniversary!) Marc Jacobs show. 

We’re seeing bitsy charms on all sorts of things, including Susan Alexandra Tiny Joys Lucky Charms, Haricot Vert “Dear Diary” Charming Bag, Mother Denim Lucky Charms Beanie, and Hello Adrienne Bite Size Dangles. And let’s pleeease not forget Mini Brand magnets. 

Share your favorite small restaurant empires, color analysis thoughts, fave minis, and more via 833-632-5463, [email protected], @athingortwohq, or our Geneva. 

Get your chocolate fix with Charles Chocolates—15% off your first purchase with the code ATHING15.

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Giddyup! This week we’re talking about an essential Thingie, being forthcoming with one’s universe, the squashissance, cowboy love stories (real and fictional), and, as usual, a whole lot more.

Big Thingie Energy: a good vet, specifically cat ‘n bunny caretakers at Catnip & Carrots. 

Having a moment? Squash. Some recipes we love include Aacorn Squash with Coconut Custard from Kristen Kish for Food & Wine, Soy Glazed Kabocha Squash with Japanese Sesame Seasoning from Season with Spice, Delicata Squash Agrodolce from Athena Calderone for PureWow, and Roasted Honey Nut Squash and Chickpeas With Hot Honey from Melissa Clark for NYT. 

GRWM audiobooks we’re into include Tom Lake by Ann Patchett and You Could Make This Place Beautiful by Maggie Smith (< who you probably know from her poem “Good Bones” and/or her essay “My Marriage Was Never the Same After That.”). 

We love cowboy love! Get into Lyla Sage’s Rebel Blue Ranch series, starting with Done and Dusted and the upcoming Swift and Saddled. Related: the rodeo, Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk, and Bella Hadid’s cowboyfriend. 

We love easy crafts! Including decorating these 99¢ frames, rolling beeswax candles, doing fruit and veggie prints (maybe at RecCreate Collective in BK?), and collage journaling like Martina Calvi. Also, we endorse Target’s Spritz line of party decorations (balloon arch + gold fringe, hello). 

We are deep in the Grossy Universe. Do you want any context on the people in our ‘verse? Ask away at 833-632-5463, [email protected], @athingortwohq, or even our Geneva. 

Do your nails so well you impress yourself with Olive & June—20% off your first Mani System when you use our link.

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Di-hards, Clairericas, ATOTs, Thingles, actual listener name TBA: It's time to dive even deeper into Rivians lore, share the case for sleeping in socks, and add a new one for hand warmers. Also, it’s feeling like the tong discussion on this podcast is just beginning…

Listen to the How I Built This ep with the founder of Rivian; read the WSJ story “‘If You Sleep in Socks You’re a Psychopath.’ Health Tip Kicks Up Controversy.”

Ocoopa hand-warmers—have we tried? Or Zippo’s?

What should we call ATOT fans? Now’s your chance to let us know at 833-632-5463, [email protected], or @athingortwohq—and bring the debate to our Geneva (either the app or the browser version!).

Hire for that role with Indeed and get a $75 sponsored job credit when you use our link.

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May we ask a question? Are you a Framebridge groupie yet? We’re partnering with the fantastic company on this glorious ep—and an event at their Park Slope store from 11 a.m to 1 p.m. on Saturday, February 3, with 15% off! Which is all to say: If you’re not already hooked, you’re about to be. Behold, CEO Susan Tynan’s Thingies, your family-photo anxieties, and how what we’re hanging on our walls offers a lens into ~the culture~.

Susan’s Thingies include egg rolls in a bowl, Athletic Brewing Run Wild IPA, Pomela Casa mugs, the Marrakesh frame from Framebridge, Caroline’s Cakes 7-Layer Cakes, and the Spoonful of Comfort Thinking of You Package. 

The Framebridge gallery wall sets = a stroke of genius.

If you’re commissioning illustrations for future framing, we love the work of Julie Houts and Olivia de Recat.

What are your framing conundrums? How have you taken ownership over your own bday happiness? Share with us at 833-632-5463, [email protected], or @athingortwohq—and chat it up about anything at all in our Geneva!

Come join us for the easiest, most stylish framing at Framebridge Park Slope this Sat., 2/3, from 11 a.m to 1 p.m. and get 15% off (a very rare discount!). 

We’ve got some hot topics like celebrity activism and when to share pregnancy news—and even hotter topics like verbal leashes, sleeping with socks on, and weird terminology for just wearing your damn clothes.

New nym alert!!! Good Inside by Becky Kennedy brings us MGI: most generous interpretation. 

Claire’s IG exchange with Nancy Meyers in this Instagram post confirms that there are, in fact, Vicente Foods bags in The Holiday (and that N.M. is the greatest). 

The thing having a moment this week: Rivians and their mascot, Gary the Gear Guard.

Two things we’re happy about being “in” in 2024 include outfit-repeating and going to the movies. Shoutout to this @flwrchldtweets tweet and Dwight Garner’s Grub Street Diet. 

Dog people: Is a verbal leash (not the yet-to-be-written spinoff to Best in Show) a thing? Please let us know at 833-632-5463, [email protected], or @athingortwohq—and chat it up about anything at all in our Geneva!

Let’s talk Thingies with Samhita Mukhopadhyay, a writer and editor who covers feminism, politics, culture, fashion, racial justice, and existential dating dilemmas—in short, so much we want to read. She’s the editorial director of The Meteor, the co-editor of the best-selling anthology Nasty Women: Feminism, Resistance and Revolution in Trump’s America, and the author of Outdated: Why Dating is Ruining Your Love Life and (forthcoming!!) The Myth of Making It: A Workplace Reckoning. Yes, consider this the you-hear-it-here-first pre-order nudge.

Samhita’s Thingies include Ranavat hair oil, wearing her partner’s class ring, Care Touch lens wipes, Jolly Rancher Chews, a poem by Hala Alyan, and Megan Thee Stallion’s bodyodyody. 

The phrase “Oh, I’m JV” is brought to us by Sara Petersen’s Substack In Pursuit of Clean Countertops, and we have a bonus Thingie: the memoir installments of Kim France’s Substack! 

What areas are you happily JV in? Share with us at 833-632-5463, [email protected], or @athingortwohq—and chat it up about anything at all in our Geneva!

Let’s dive into some Hellmann’s drama, TSwift x Wordsworth, and lots more re: the secret life of girls (thank you to Wired for the Notes App *respect*!!!).

To know Prof. Stephanie Burt is to love Prof. Stephanie Burt—this NYT  interview about her Harvard Taylor Swift class will get you there. A fave on the syllabus: Grace and the Fever by Zan Romanoff.

It’s pintxo season (we say!). Woldy Kusina shows us how it’s done, and Despaña is a great ingredient source. (Also: RIP the Prune Chicago Matchbox Bloody Mary.)

Indoor/Outdoor Boyfriends brought to you buy Ella Risbridger’s You Get In Love And Then newsletter. (Have you read her book Midnight Chicken?) 

Did you know Hellmann’s mayonnaise is known as something else entirely in parts of the West? Share your thoughts on this revelation at 833-632-5463, [email protected], or @athingortwohq, and chat it up about anything at all in  our Geneva!

Get your nails in good shape with Olive & June—20% off your first Mani System with our link.

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We’re wise enough to know it’s about time to revisit this wisdom episode from the vault. We share our feelings about feeling our age and some excellent advice we caught about living with a little longing—and we very much would like to hear if this one hits differently the second time around.  

Some readings that impacted how we’ve been navigating aging include Being Mortal by Atul Gawande, Casey Johnston’s Swole Woman program, Cheryl Wischover’s “What Changed When I Started Lifting Weights” in the Gloria newsletter, and Kayleen Schaefer’s “How 50 Pushups A Day Helped Me Cope In An Uncertain World” for Elle. 

If you have thoughts on longing or musings about aging share them with us at 833-632-5463, [email protected], or @athingortwohq. And try out a Secret Menu membership for more recommendations.

Today we present a very *us* episode from the archives: What does “After Dark” mean to you? How does one explain what consulting is? Are you signed up for Dua Lipa’s newsletter? What does it mean to actually *build* a bear? All this and more in your ears now!

For some discomfitting Build-a-Bear products for adults, enter The Bear Cave. For other “but what does it MEAN?” After Dark content, check out National Parks After Dark and this edition of Emily Henry’s Book Lovers. 

Check out this YouTube video from Charlie Berens for on ope usage and Midwest vs. Everybody’s great ope merch. Also: on the rise of the Midwestern vibe.

Takeaways re: "A ‘Landmark’ as Women Will Coach Against Each Other in Men’s Soccer," which also made us think about this episode of Throwing Fits.

Join us in subscribing to Dua Lipa’s newsletter Service95 and listening to her podcast At Your Service. 

Share your thoughts on all of this at 833-632-5463, [email protected], or @athingortwohq—or join our Geneva! And try out a Secret Menu membership for a whole lot more recommendations. 

Turn to Shopify for all your ecomm needs and get a free 14-day trial with our link.

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We’re so excited about this Guest Thingies ep with Ellen Van Dusen of Dusen Dusen—a greatest hit if there ever was one! But first, some nuggets of wisdom from famously creative famous dudes.

We’re definitely taking inspiration from Rod Stewart’s model railway side project and Tom Hanks's advice to Austin Butler. 

Ellen’s Thingies include being comfortable inside and outside the home (please see: her delightful robes…and brand-new slippers!!), @Favetiktoks420 on Instagram, and cool silverware (especially David Tisdale’s Picnic Flatware, which makes us think of Ahimsa dinnerware for kids). She also loves tile right now—see: Heath Ceramics, her collab with Concrete Collaborative, Fireclay, and Oasis—and you have to, have to check out her backyard mosaic. Last but not least: Her love of bird-watching has us asking when she’s going to start selling the birdhouse she designed for Brooklyn Botanic Garden (in the meantime, the MoMA one we’re all into). Ooh, and as we told Ellen, Where'd You Go, Bernadette is a great book and a much better movie than it gets credit for being.

Share your dream Thingies guests with us at 833-632-5463, [email protected], or @athingortwohq. And for more recommendations, try out a Secret Menu membership.

Treat your hair to Nutrafol. Take $10 off your first month’s subscription with the code ATHINGORTWO.

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This week, we’re talkin’ Thingies with Alison Roman, the woman behind a SLEW of recipes we cook all the dang time. We know you know her, but JIC, she’s the author of NYT bestselling—and gifty!—cookbooks Sweet Enough, Nothing Fancy, and Dining In, she doles out the most delightful kitchen content in A Newsletter and on her Home Movies YouTube channel, and she delivers guidance of all kinds on her Solicited Advice podcast. In essence: She’s full of thoughts, and we want them all.

First things first, what we would bring to a pilot kid-gift swap (thx, Leslie!): Spirograph, Yellow Owl Workshop DIY Pin & Flair Kit, Bastien Contraire Stencil Kit, Majo Ideas Art Pack, and Pop Tubes.

Alison’s tabletop Thingies include beeswax candles (try Greentree Home Candle—maybe in the sangria color?!), candle holders *in general* (e.g., this Sophie Lou Jacobson one), and interesting serving platters including Bordallo Pinheiro's. For the bod, she loves using Laneige’s lip mask as lip balm, and Davines’s Vegetarian Miracle Mask for her hair. On the food front, how about chopped fermented chilies—use them to make her Brothy Chickpeas with Calabrian Chili (and/or these chickpeas)—and, for dessert, Kolsvart gummies. 

Share your Thingies with us at 833-632-5463, [email protected], and @athingortwohq, or drop them in our Geneva!

Give yourself the gift of professional counseling with BetterHelp and take 10% off your first month with our link.

Trust us: It’s all about Nutrafol. Take $10 off your first month’s subscription with the code ATHINGORTWO.

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Whoop! Whoop! This week we are discussing our marathon-cheering behaviors, chicken anxiety, iconic hot dogs, and weightlifting thanks—in part— to the Beckham doc. 

The term chicken anxiety was brought to us by Rosie Seabrook on TikTok. 

We can’t believe we haven’t talked about The Wieners Circle yet. Their Instagram is one of the only safe places on IG.

This Vogue story about Victoria Beckham's weightlifting routine inspired us to ask you all how you are thinking about this, and you have answers: @evlofitness programs, CoPilot app, @kerimantie, Ladder app, Liftoff: Casey Johnston’s Couch to Barbell, Stronger by the Day, and Peloton strength classes. A big sell on weightlifting comes from Yasi Salek in the Perfectly Imperfect newsletter. 

Send us your weightlifting thoughts at 833-632-5463, [email protected], and @athingortwohq, or share in our Geneva!

Learn from the best with MasterClass and get two memberships for the price of one with our link.

Join Book of the Month and get your first book for just $5 with the code SWEATER.

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It's time for a grab bag featuring a *measured* celebrity fan account, a cooking north star, our POV on holiday cards, and a grand Notes App follow-up. 

Gained some wisdom from @OlsenOracle, a perfect fan account (that is maybe even Olsen approved???).

We’re having a Marcella Hazan moment, thanks to, as Food & Wine put it her “radical simplicity.” Some recipes we’ve been cooking: THE tomato, onion, and butter sauce, grilled fish romagna style, pesto, rice and smothered cabbage soup, and chimney sweep’s gelato. 

Speaking of cooking, we must discuss this Julia Child gas stove story by Rebecca Leber for Vox, which pairs well with “How the Fossil Fuel Industry Convinced Americans to Love Gas Stoves,” which she wrote for Mother Jones. 

Your Notes Apping!! See: this packing-list  revelation from@rileejsmith (um, the template). We also love this TikTok from @kiramackenz.

What weird things are you up to in the Notes App? Let us know at 833-632-5463, [email protected], @athingortwohq, or in our Geneva!

Turn to Shopify for all your ecomm needs and get a free 14-day trial with our link.

Join Book of the Month and get your first book for just $5 with the code SPOOKY.

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It’s time for the (whopping) second half of our 2023 gift guide! We tackle dads, sisters, in-laws, friends, coworkers, and some ideas for presents to ask for yourself when that feels like a necessary thing. 

For the full link-rich rundown, you’re best off heading over to our site: athingortwohq.com/gift-guide-episodes

If there’s someone on your list that we didn’t get to this year, let us know who you’re shopping for in our Geneva! And share more gift ideas with us at 833-632-5463, [email protected], and @athingortwohq.

Tackle all that holiday shopping at MoMA Design Store and take 10% off your purchase when you use or mention promo code ATHINGORTWO online and in US MoMA Design Stores  through November 23, 2023.  

Give your hair the gift of Nutrafol. Take $10 off your first month’s subscription with the code ATHINGORTWO.

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Gifts for YOU!

My in laws are great people who will buy exactly what ask for as long as it's 1) not personal care or appearance-related AT ALL, 2) not a ""luxury item"" or a splurge version of something (ie no fancy candles), and 3) under $100. I'm a dedicated audiobook listener and | don't need any more cookbooks or board games. They won't do a donation in lieu of gift. Gift giving is their love language but only if the gift is very practical or they got it on a significant discount. We're fortunate to be in a financial position where I'm generally able to buy practical as they're needed, but my in laws hear ""I don't need anything!"" as a snub. Help!"

• Uniqlo Heattech
• Something Yamazaki
• Cookbooks (like The Lula Cafe one!)
• A traditional restock (plants, PJs, etc.)
• Directing them to a go-tostore like MoMA Design Store and Zingerman’s
• Dinnerware/cookware to build on every yea—Le Creuset, vintage Fiestaware, Dansk, Heath, etc., etc.
• Charms for a charm bracelet/necklace like Jet Set Candy passport stamp charms (+ their NYPL card one is also very good)

Dads & Fathers-in-Law

My Dad sounds more like a brand persona than a real person. He's very cosmopolitan/urbane, lives in the city center even though he's 60, takes public transit, legitimately does his weekly grocery shopping at boutique cheese/bread/specialty food stores, always dressed impeccably. OWNS a beautiful specialty meat slicer that he has in his kitchen and uses for fresh/thinly sliced prosciutto (before you go there I've done ham hocks more than once). Interests: art, food and entertaining, culture. Loves to read, usually big sweeping historical books. Always the hardest person to shop for on my list because his taste level is very out of my price range and I'm tapped out on the specialty food theme. Dad recently become a grandfather (2 grandsons and one more coming in Jan) and it was a little weird for him - he loves my sons but the image of an old guy in a rocking chair teaching kids how to whittle didn't jive with his understanding of himself. He's starting to settle in. Has a very unique grandpa name with many indecipherable layers of historical context and family history that the grandkids will probably never understand. Buys them beautifully made clothes that they would immediately ruin. Talks to them about their shared interests: boats, planes, and other well-designed machines.

• Hoste Bottled Cocktails 
• Regalis Black Truffle Microwaveable Popcorn
• Nordic Ware Indoor/Outdoor Kettle Smoker 
• Custom Opinel
• Berea College Intersections Charcuterie Board
• Big Nights Planner
• Suzanne Sullivan Porcelain Playing Cards or Bone Inlay Domino Set
• Blackwater & Sons Return Address Stamp
• Billion Oyster Project donation
• Rex Design Oyster Plate

My dad. 82 years old. Loves to read serious nonfiction but bus all the books he wants. Loves French and Italian wine but his taste is too expensive for me and he has all the gadgets. Generally expensive taste that's above my pay grade. He dresses pretty dapper and lives in NYC. Gets lots of compliments on his glasses and clothes. Grills meat for dinner nearly every night but stuck in his ways when it comes to cooking. Very much a creature of habit. Likes jazz and classic rock. Best gifts I've gotten for him are interesting casual clothes he wouldn't find himself, a dapper custom English umbrella, taking him to see live jazz…

• Campo Grande
• The Durand - bottle opener for old bottles/corks
• Ralph Lauren custom stuff! Hello, cashmere sweater.
• Vintage tie clip or cuff links from TRR
• Vinyl Me, Please subscription
• The Jazz Loft Project: Photographs and Tapes of W. Eugene Smith from 821 Sixth Avenue, 1957–1965
• Preservation Hall Drum Ornament or Tambourine
• Blue Note merch

Okay, now that I've seen this I feel okay sending a description of my dad. He's a 67-year-old workaholic lawyer many have described as "quite the character, huh?" He takes himself very seriously, though he also can be quite mischievous and loves to stir the pot. His interests include fishing, geopolitics, and monologuing. I truly feel like I've explored all gifting avenues already with him: consumables for his major sweet tooth, outdoorsy gear that he already buys himself, political or economic books that won't lead to arguments (he's conservative, I'm liberal), and seemingly every dog toy or black Labrador art print under the sun. He doesn't drink and mostly sticks to heart-healthy food. While he has many entertaining childhood stories, it seems unlikely he will set aside time for something activity-based like StoryWorth, as he spends most of his at-home free time watching YouTube videos about things like beekeeping (yes, I've gotten him multiple artisanal honeys that had little impact). I'm at my wits' end with this conundrum of a father, please help!

• Unexpected: 30 Years of Patagonia Outdoor Photography
• Custom Smathers & Branson Belts
• Port Bait Co. Bait/Lures
• reMarkable
• North Spore Mushroom-Growing Kits
• Pack of Avec
• Merippa House Shoes

Father-in-law is the definition of introverted, deeply obsessed with cars (has several classic ones), and model trains (legit has an entire room for trains that has like, an actual functional drawbridge for the trains). Also loves good food and good tequila!

• “Rod Stewart's ideal Christmas present? Brushes for his model railway”
• Dining by Rail: The History and Recipes of America's Golden Age of Railroad Cuisine by James D. Porterfield
• Charles Ro Supply Co. gift certificate
• Toyo Toolbox 
• Chevrolet Corvette 1961 Lego Set
• Major Minis 
• Alessi The Tending Box

Sisters & Sisters-in-Law

Present for woo-woo disorganized sister who holds a grudge & has two adorable kids

• House of Intuition Candles
• A Daily Cloud Calendar
• Hightide DTLA Moon Calendar
• Ha Ko Incense Leaves
• Golde Superfoods Mask Kit
• Esker Bodycare Discovery Set
• Julia Elsas Wiggle Wall Hooks

Ok this one is may be a doozy. New SIL: she describes herself as an author but will never discuss her writing, we've never seen anything, nothing published (she is 40, we had a running theory maybe her "writing" was OnlyFans? It's unclear.) She loves Disney (I have secured Hanna Anderson Disney Christmas PJs), Rudy Giuliani (!!!), and believes enough conspiracy theories that we had to change our will about w hich uncle would get our kids if we died. Zola was "too downmarket" for their wedding registry but she doesn't know which fork to use (to be clear, both of these things are fine, just incongruent, right?). So I need something that feels sophisticated but maybe...isn't.

• Ami Ami Mulled Wine Kit
• Gentlewoman Modern Manners Postcard Set
• Anya Hindmarch Bespoke Passport Wallet
• Madewell Disney Mickey Mouse-Embroidered Cardigan Sweater in (Re)sponsible Cashmere
• Kitsch & Disney Satin Pillowcase - Desert Crown
• Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott
• Black Women Writers at Work 
• How to Write an Autobiographical Novel: Essays by Alexander Chee
• Cultish by Amanda Montell
• Four Seasons Total Landscaping Hat

Boyfriend's sister: 29, children's librarian and loves children's books/ movies. Pretty much hates everything I've ever given her and doesn't really have any taste that isn't just stuff her 63 y/o mother likes... when I try to get her clothes that are more age-appropriate (read: no for a woman in her 60s), she never wears them. She's not materialistic BUT loves going to Home Goods just to get stuff? Also has a New Year's Day bday so I need two things. And this is a big bday (30!)! My boyfriend got her a big set of glass Tupperware which was a huge hit, but then got her a nutri bullet (the mom loves hers) and she hated that. HELP!!!

• Book of the Month subscription
• Persephone Gifts
• Tortuga or Schoolhouse or Justina Blakeney bookends
• Brooklyn Public Library Books Unbanned donation
• Vintage READ Posters from American Library Association
• Ralph & James - framed children's picture book art prints
• Film Art Gallery - classic children’s movie posters 
• Yellow Paper House Junque Journal
• Our Place Wonder Oven

SIL Trying to be an influencer and posts sporadic videos on THIS APP about a home design of a suburban cookie-cutter house. Always mansplains the littlest things. Snobby but for no reason. But also probably a nice person to people she likes? Probably!

• Fiona’s Pasta Gift Box
• Maria Ida Designs
• Madre Linen Napkins
• Big Night or The Six Bells depending on her vibe—anything from either feels safe!
• Canva subscription
• Allison Bornstein or Lakyn Carlton styling session
• Livable Luxe by Brigette Romanek
• Arranging Things by Colin King  
• Beata Heuman: Every Room Should Sing

Sister-in-law: she is a corporate lawyer and very much a Dallas girly (lives in Dallas but also embodies the Dallas vibes with beach blonde hair, very fancy car to drive 5 minutes to work, has a texting relationship with sales associates at various designer stores). If you read the NYTimes article from a few months ago explaining the Dallas food scene, she embodies the Dallas consumer exactly. She is a bit of a Broadway nerd. She is basically the opposite of me in almost every possible way, and I'm always afraid to shop for her. Last year I got her a gift set from The Crown Affair and I don't think she knew a thing about it. Would like to stay

Part 1 of our gift guide is here! We have an abundance of recs for stocking stuffers, boyfriends, husbands, moms, sons, and kids! 

Share any gift ideas with us at 833-632-5463, [email protected], @athingortwohq, or in our Geneva!

Gift yourself professional counseling with BetterHelp and take 10% off your first month with our link.

Tackle all of your holiday shopping at MoMA Design Store and take 10% off your purchase when you use or mention promo code ATHINGORTWO online and in US MoMA Design Stores through November 23, 2023.

YAY.

Stocking Stuffers

“We are only doing stockings for adults this year - all the fun stocking stuffers, please.”

• Opinel key chains
• Noso patches
• Scout Regalia sticky hooks
• Favorite musician merch - Olivia Rodrigo Perfect All-American Bitch hat
• Custom family matchbooks
• Nutscene Colorful Tiddler Twine
• Rose Los Angeles x Gossamer CBD Rosin Delights
• Redecker Hedgehog Table Brush
• Silk Daisy Chain Kit
• Nata Concept Store Farfalle Candle
• Hinoki Drawer Bag
• Lisa Angel bottle stoppers / Annie Raysee wine stopper
• TheWhiteStreetMarket wick trimmer
• Kahawa 1893 Single Serve Coffee Packs
• Brightland Olive Oil minis
• Sqwigl Straws
• Curaprox toothbrushes

Boyfriends/Husbands

My husband, 34. Senior web developer manager. Likes home projects, sci-fi books/tv, awesome dad to our 4 year old and 8 month old. He hates spending money and “doesn’t want gifts” but wants gifts. It’s historically been a damned if you do, damned if you don’t type situation. His favorite gifts from me ever have been a car washing kit, a woobles crochet kit, and a Dyson vacuum. Wtf do I get him now?!

• Sven-Saw
• Hoto Brushless Drill - .like the Dyson hairdryer of drills!
• Yuns Hardware gift certificate
• Singer Heavy Duty 4423 
• Open Studio: Do-It-Yourself Art Projects by Contemporary Artists by ​​Sharon Coplan Hurowitz and Amanda Benchley
• Harvest Label Sling Bag
• Slate Flosser
• Camper wool Wabi slippers
• Signed Ursula Le Guin or Octavia Butler

My graphic designer husband who likes quality over quantity, is picky and lives in fear I might buy him clothes as a gift.

• An architecture or design book from a city you visited over the last year—make it an annual thing?
• A piece of art or a study from an artist he likes (for something more accessibly priced, depending)
• Marjolein Delhaas 2024/366 Planner
• Higonokami Knife
• Rose Gold wrench
• Balmuda toaster 
• Bruno Munari Pencil Holder (with a set of Blackwing or Pineider pencils)
• Saint Olio body oil

Husband - new dad, hates buying himself anything. He's bookish and British, and his interests include cycling, cooking, video games, F1 and the Tottenham Hot Spurs. Everything nice he wears is because I bought it for him. Want to get him something good this year because he's been so underslept and overworked, juggling baby and a new job.

• Lewis Hamilton Almave
• Tottenham Hotspurs vintage gear
• Book repair (as recommended by Lauren in our Geneva last year)
• WhiteSpacePress on Etsy for vintage Penguin Classics, etc.
• Fog Linen Brass Cookbook stand or Puebco Cookbook Stand
• Persol 714 - Original (foldable) sunglasses
• Blackstock & Weber Loafers

Asked for gift ideas for a quar romance a few years ago. We bought a house together this year. He's wonderful. His favorite drink is espresso. He loves Guy Fieri. He plays an Irish sport called hurling. We go on bike rides together and love exploring new places. We both lost our grandmothers this year. 

• Air Fieri crewneck sweatshirt
• PillowsPostersPapers Guy Fieri Fan Sequin Pillowcase -we all just need to know this exists
• Ivo Angel Italian splatterware espresso cups
• Oaxacan espresso cup
• Baba Tree bike basket
• Nocs Provisions Binoculars
• Wren Off-Road Growler
• Safety Pizzeta
• The Expert
• Grounded Gift Card
• Kabin Bonfire Builder
• A custom print of something meaningful to him of his grandmother’s from The Heirloomist

Sons

Help! I'm desperate for gift ideas for my 22-year-old son. He's a new grad; job hunting, close to securing his first job, just moved home from Montreal. Uni girlfriend relocated from overseas to our hometown Toronto. He's very private. Hates receiving gifts (?!!?). Is gracious at the time he receives but they always find their way to the return pile. Loves a good bargain, and hates that we spend $ on him. Sooooo hard to buy for. Best gift ever was 3 month cheese subscription sent to school last year. Makes fun of the various prints I've bought him. Lots of friends, but very introverted; sporty; foodie; funny; middle child; does not share info, let alone gift ideas; nothing to see here folks, just move-on kinda guy. Help!!!!!!

• Gift cert for an Island Creek Oysters party with friends (plus a couple of shucking knives) or tinned fish. 
• Hawkins New York cheese knife set - under $40, looks fancier
• Ricki's Cheese Making Kits
• Sowaca Ceramic Cooking Pan
• The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science by J. Kenji López-Alt
• Start Here: Instructions for Becoming a Better Cook: A Cookbook by Sohla El-Waylly
• Restaurant gift certs—something fancy he and the GF would never do on their own like Prime Seafood Palace or just a favorite spot of two of theirs that feels like a treat
• Luggage! Like the Wallybags Travel Garment Bag, Patagonia Black Hole Duffle Bag, and Alex Mill Perfect Weekday Tote. 

Moms/Mother in Laws 

Quintessential Midwest mom of 3 adult kids who loves baking, reading, watching PBS shows, musicals, traveling, and getting her steps in walking her two black labs. Has been referred to as the "mommiest mom" in the past. Puts up with a lot of BS from her curmudgeonly husband (my dad). I've given her many kitchen items and books over the years. Favorite brands are things like Emma Bridgewater, Hanna Anderson, and Talbots. I recently moved to NYC, so I'm hoping to get her something that will make her feel less "abandoned" and more cared for. Thank you for any suggestions!! 

• Met Opera on Demand
• TEKLA bathrobe
• Lake Pajamas
• 50 States, 50 Pies by Stacey Mei Yan Fong 
• Fresh Midwest: Modern Recipes from the Heartland by Maren Ellingboe King
• Haden electric tea kettle
• Galley & Fen oven mitt
• Vintage PBS shirts

Mom, in her mid-50s, a new grandma. Had a really hard year mental health-wise but making positive changes. Goes to therapy but new at it. Loves to be social, have dinners, see movies and Broadway shows. Loves 80s pop music and Jason Isbell. Enjoys trying new things but tends to move on to something else quickly.

• Molly Mahon block-printing kits
• Martha Mae How to Paint a Cloud Bundle
• Nora McInerny's “Don’t honk I’m already crying” bumper magnet - if she has the sense of humor for it!
• Semikolon 5-Year Diary / Midori 5-year Diary
• Loftie clock - because of sleep hygiene!
• Subscription to Mubi or Criterion Collection
• Subscription to Saipua TV…paired with Saipua Garden Tea that’s made by Deborah Needleman

My Mom! She's 70. A former elementary art teacher...retired and living on a budget. We completely mis-gift each other every year. I try to give her nice (not overly luxurious, but nice) scarves, sweaters, earrings, etc and they always flop. My brother and his girlfriend gave her a plastic porch goose and it's her favorite thing ever. She doesn't read. She's crafty but her medium is always changing and usually something very specific like needle felting.

• Pink Picasso paint-by-numbers custom kits or non-custom ones by Paint Anywhere
• Art Life Practice Kit
• Melanie Abrantes DIY Wood Carving Kits
• Friendly Loom Black and White Potholder Loom Kit 
• Pattern and supplies to DIY her own porch goose outfits—there’s even a crochet one for making hair for them?!
• A duck candleholder to go with her porch goose

Ok, how about my mom? I'll let you describe her though 😂.. something that's not a cookbook and also maybe not clothes because she buys those for herself anyway… In exchange, I'm sharing a brilliant gift idea (or at least I think so) for someone who likes to cook/bake a lot: mudaustralia.com. They have a line that you can not only bake on but then serve on because it's beautiful ceramic! Mom is a fancy Bay Area retired real estate lawyer w/ incredible taste, loves to cook and bake and is not intimidated by complicated recipes (has cooked basically everything from the Pok Pok cookbook), loves to entertain, has a fondness for cute animals and cute things in general. A good storyteller and letter writer, feels very strongly about thank you notes. A grandmother to two boys and a dog named Steve who dressed up as a martini for Halloween. Fashion sense errs towards high-end FUN— a think: Dries Van Noten, Commes des Garcons, etc. Is a very talented crafter with a whole room very chicly dedicated to it, has been very into needlepoint lately. Also a voracious reader.  

• Escali Primo Digital Scale 
• Masienda gift kit
• Laetitia Rouget Butterfingers Butter Dish
• Michelle Kim Chicken Mitt
• Helle Mardahl Espresso Cups
• TheMagic5 Swim Goggles gift cert 
• Julia Morgan: An Intimate Biography of the Trailblazing Architect
• Lena Rewell Throw

I need holiday gift help for my boyfriend's mother. A few details about her: She's a professor in the Boston area and an immigrant from a Scandinavian country. She has great taste (homewares, design) and a Scandinavian sense of restrained style -- she's a woman of a certain age after all, not a Copenhagen TikTok girlie. And she has nice-things disease. You know, the stuff in her house is nice. For a general sense of her style, she's always worn Birkenstock Bostons, carries an Everlane backpack to campus, and has functional and pretty cookware (like a beautiful espresso machine). I've struck out on all the gifts I've given her, and I thought I was good at gifting! They include a handmade and hand-painted pottery vase, artisan granola, and Lauren Groff's Fates and Furies (She said she liked her NYer stories, but alas the book didn't work, per her son) She has a dog she's obsessed with, and a beach house, though it's pretty outfitted. Maybe I could try something there? Food and wine/bev gifts are out because of health issues.

• Message Slides + Socks, for an alt to her Birkenstock Bostons
• Deiji Flannel Pajamas
• The Sleep Shirt
• Malaika x Kneeland Co. Seashell Towel
• Saint Olio Aromatic Dog Refresher
• Verloop dog sweater
• Pogo Pet Bowl

Very Christian mother-in-law who writes historical fiction

• Judy Kim Gingerbread Cookie Wreath
• Flowers of Provence by Jamie Beck
• Powder Puff Pullover
• Bridie Hall Intaglio Soaps

In search of gift ideas for my 83-year-old fancyish, but not fussy mother-in-law. Born and raised in DC, still rocks a blond bob, loves hydrangeas, obsessed with bunnies. Raised 5 kids and is over cooking but loves anything with cranberries, nuts and raisins. Hobbies include bowling, Irish dancing, shopping at Aldi, and finding a bargain. Very tech-challenged.

• Coral & Tusk Bunny Hydrangea Tea Towel
• Juliet Wine
• Block Shop Italian Cashmere Wrap
• Italian marquetry pieces from Litten Tree Antiques
• Mother Shrub in Cranberry
• Capital City Mambo Sauce Gift Set

Mother-in-law, early 70s, notoriously difficult and anxious, prefers austere things, drinks a lot of black, understated-but-fancy tea, secretly addicted to watching Teen Mom

• Lea & Nicholas beautifully austere mugs
• Hot Cool Tokyo Tea Storage Container or Kinto canister
• Umezawa Hinoki Tissue Box
• Naoto Fukasawa for Onao Co. Siwa Carryall Bag
• Bare Hands Dry Gloss Manicure Kit
• Annie Ernaux books

Mother-in-law has a big heart and a big personality. Is from Colombia. Likes blue, good food, and excellent tequila. Plays tennis and has picked up pickleball.

• Masienda mezcal cups / Kneeland Co. Rarities mezcal cups / Viski Himalayan salt shot glasses
• Verve Culture Mezcal and Tequila Infusion and Tasting Set
• Mi Cocina’s denim placemats/potholders/table runners
• Mark & Graham customizable pickleball bags
• Chefanie Tennis ball cocktail napkins
• Picnic Time Parisian Picnic Basket 
• Junedays cooler
• Tanchen Wine Bag
• Laines London tequila slippers

Kids

Impressing a 5-year-old on Christmas morning without a massive plastic Barbie house

• Haus or Follies playhouses
• SMOL bounce houses
• Wonder & Wise Theater Setup
• Gathre trampoline
• Lip Smacker Crayola 24-Piece Lip Balm Vault
• Eames Giant House of Cards Deck (and create-your-own ones)
• Ban.Do four in a row

All my friends just started having kids. Best gifts for babies under 1 year

• Nothing - donate in their name to the National Diaper Bank Network
• Bath crayons
• Stapelsteins
• Custom name tags from Label Weavers or Name Bubbles

A toddler whose parent wants "less stuff" in the house

• Consumables!
• Tattly x Richard Scarry 
• Twee sidewalk chalk name sets
• Soap Dough Co (℅ Kyra on IG)
• Supernatural sprinkles/baking sets
• The Dough Project Make Your Own Playdough Kit

Two nephews, 2nd grade and 4th grade. Live in the Midwest. They both like video games. My sister-in-law and brother are recently teaching them that "expensive college isn't worth it" (even though my brother went to two expensive colleges and is a successful lawyer). I adamantly disagree. They play soccer, and violin (I also play violin). They don't seem to like sweets or treats unless it's pure sugar. They visit us and my parents in the mountains in Colorado often so they appreciate the outdoors but try not to go into it very much unless my parents force them to go backpacking. I don't want to buy them anything they expect, or that my SiL might throw away or think is too expensive. This is also kind of a gift guide request for my SIL if you're catching on to what she's like, too…

• Anyway Mag Subscription 
• Junior HappyMe Journal, for ages 6-12
• Bo and Mei Lunar New Year Celebration Boxes
• Custom Chuck Taylors
• Stylophone S1 Pocket Synthesizer and e-Blox Circuit Blox 120 Build Your Own Sound Machine and Radio 
• Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark
• Flik Flak Watches
• MMX Marshmallow Crossbow
• Who’s She? Board Game

See you next week for part 2! 

French-cuff your pants and open your Notes app because this week we’re diving into some cooking thoughts, new vocab, Nora Ephron lore, and more! 

Cookbooks! S/o to this tweet from Jen Rose Smith and Ali Slagle’s I Dream of Dinner, which has been Claire’s dinner salvation of late. As for the It veggies of the season, we present Grub Street’s “When Did Cabbage Get So Sexy?” and T mag's ”Radicchio Is in Season — And in Style.”

New terms to use in a sentence: biz rizz, friend-in-law, and RFP, as applied to dating. 

Fall reading material: I’ll Have What She’s Having by Erin Carlson. See also: I Shock Myself by Beatrice Wood and No Crying in Baseball about the making of A League of Their Own.

Now a question: Is “How ‘bout that?” a thing outside of the Travis Kelce cinematic universe? Let us know at 833-632-5463, [email protected], @athingortwohq, or in our Geneva!

Find more weeknight dinner recipes at Pillsbury.com. 

Discover so many more natural diamond truths at naturaldiamonds.com/thankyou.

Learn from the best with MasterClass and get an additional 15% off an annual membership with our link.

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We’re back to talk Thingies with Karah Preiss, the co-founder of Belletrist, an online reading community and production company she started with Emma Roberts. She’s an executive producer of Tell Me Lies and First Kill and so many things you will watch IN THE FUTURE, and she’s also just an absolute delight. 

First things first, we gotta discuss Doppelgänger by Naomi Klein. 

Karah’s Thingies include The Cockmark (somehow reading-related), May December (out November 17), Rosie O'Donnell (and the taxi announcements of yore and her Friend of Barbie doll), Jenna Lyons, and Tumblr (and, related, the Pop Culture Died in 2009 account and the Swipewipe app). 

Share *your* Thingies with us at 833-632-5463, [email protected], @athingortwohq, or in our Geneva!

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Give your hair a boost with Nutrafol. Take $15 off your first month’s subscription with the code ATHINGORTWO.

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Discover so many more natural diamond truths at naturaldiamonds.com/thankyou.

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We’re pursuing some new interests this week including picking apart oral-care TikTok, attending monster truck rallies, and finding angry aunts that give incredible advice. OOOH, and don’t forget to hit us up with your gift-guide requests—the phone lines are open!

Need noise-cancelers for your next monster truck rally (or Eras viewing)? We’re fans of Loop Earplugs. And! Zach Helfand on Monster Jam for The New Yorker.

Highly recommend The Brooding column by Kathryn Jezer-Morton for The Cut, 

Especially the pieces "Raising Kids Is the ‘Best Job in the World.’ Why Is Caring for the Elderly the Worst?" + "My Mom Is Selfish. Do I Still Have to be a ‘Good Daughter’?" + "Are Helicopter Parents Actually Lazy?" Kathryn Jezer-Morton is also behind Joanna Goddard’s post-divorce Q&A and "What If You Just Didn’t Clean That Up?" Related-ish: Tamar Adler’s food scraps advice newsletter The Kitchen Shrink, Maddie Coleman’s newsletter Wait Have Your Read This?, and the site Girlhood.

For oral-care recs, we were inspired by this Claudia Sulewski TikTok, Curaprox toothbrushes (this travel set!), and the Slate Flosser. 

Which True Citrus are you? Did The White Gown traumatize you as much as it traumatized us? Please let us know at 833-632-5463, [email protected], @athingortwohq, or in our Geneva!

Discover so many more natural diamond truths at naturaldiamonds.com/thankyou.

Look into an MBA from The Georgia Tech Scheller College of Business.

Join Book of the Month and get your first book for just $5 with the code SPOOKY.

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We’ve got a grab bag for you today featuring tampon testing, Boynton Blends, Chicken Salad Chicks, and capturing the elusive joy of shopping while at the gas station. 

We were blown away by this Mother Jones article “​​Wait, Tampons Weren’t Being Tested With Human Blood?”

We’re back on our Sandra Boynton beat! See Audrey Gelman’s piece for The Strategist about  Boynton Blends coffee, Anne Diven's Gaga x Sandra TikTok, and an eBay trove of vintage wallpaper.

Friends, we had to do a deep-dive on Chicken Salad Chick (thank you to this How I Built This ep for much of the intel!).  

Jacob Gallagher's "The Hottest Shop in America Is Your Local Gas Station" for the WSJ is very quotable—and about the state of shopping, really. 

Have you eaten Chicken Salad Chick?! Tell us everything at  833-632-5463, [email protected], @athingortwohq, or in our Geneva!

Find more weeknight dinner recipes at Pillsbury.com. 

BOTM

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Finally, it’s time to talk about our current favorite Rs: rats, rain clogs, and romance! 

Our rain-clog conversation has reached new heights! As in: We have a Calzuro review for you. 

Holiday shopping season is starting early because the Staten Island Pizza Rat hats are back in stock. 

Now onto romance! For an IRL one, try Julia Allison and Noah Feldman. Fictional romances we love include You, Again by Kate Goldbeck (bonus read: this Vulture story about fanfics-turned-bestsellers by Elizabeth Held), The Art of Scandal by Regina Black, Tessa Bailey’s books including It Happened One Summer, Hook, Line, and Sinker, Fix Her Up, and Chase Me, and Before I Let Go by Kennedy Ryan. Re: sports romances, see Icebreaker by Hannah Grace, The Deal by Elle Kennedy, Kennedy Ryan in general, and this GQ interview with Phillies player Bryce Harper. Also! Let’s talk about Danielle Steel’s desk—Samantha Leach did a good profile of the icon for Glamour—and Rachel Antonoff’s fall fashion campaign (completely unrelated but we love her email roundups to her vet).  

Share the romances you’re into with us at 833-632-5463, [email protected], @athingortwohq, or our Geneva!

Try professional counseling from BetterHelp and take 10% off your first month with our link.

Take care of your hair with Nutrafol. Take $15 off your first month’s subscription with the code ATHINGORTWO.

Learn from the best with MasterClass and get an additional 15% off an annual membership with our link.

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Question for you all: Is tattoo season a thing? Follow up: Are tattoos cooler now than they used to be? Please think about your answers while listening to country artists we’re loving right now (and Post Malone while you’re at it).  

On country music having a moment: Vulture and Rolling Stone.  

Here are some artists (and their songs!) to dig into: Luke Combs (“When It Rains It Pours” and his cover of “Fast Car”), Zach Bryan ("I Remember Everything" featuring Kacey Musgraves, “Something in the Orange,” and his All My Homies Hate Ticketmaster live album), Kane Brown (“Nothing Compares to You” with Mickey Guyton), Midland (“Cheatin’ Songs” and “Burn Out”), Maren Morris (“The Bones,” “My Church,” and “Rich—and this Diary of a Song on her pop hit “The Middle” and everything The Highwomen), Kelsea Ballerini (“If You Go Down (I’m Goin’ Down Too),” “Hole in the Bottle,” and a special shoutout to her CMT Awards performance), Mickey Guyton (“All American” and “Black Like Me”—she was a judge on the Apple TV show My Kind of Country, too) Lainey Wilson (“Things a Man Oughta Know,” “Heart Like a Truck” and “Straight Up Sideways”), Hailey Whitters (“Everything She Ain’t” and “I’m In Love”), and Brooke Eden (“Sunroof”—video with her then-gf, now wife!).

For further women-in-country reading, we re-recommend Her Country by Marissa R. Ross. 

An artist we hope doesn't disappoint us: Post Malone.

Let us know what music you’re loving right now at 833-632-5463, [email protected], @athingortwohq, or our Geneva!

Find more weeknight dinner recipes at Pillsbury.com. 

Discover so many more natural diamond truths at naturaldiamonds.com/thankyou.

Head back to school with an MBA from The Georgia Tech Scheller College of Business.

Find wellness on your next stay at Westin.

Listen to Bad on Paper—if you like this podcast, you’ll like that one.

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We’re *nyming*! This week we’re covering the new era of nyms (acronyms): LIWMs (Laura Ingalls Wilder Museums), ABs (autograph books), LMs (labor musicals), SKSs (squeaky kids shoes), and CPAs (co-parenting apps). TTYL!

Our new nyming era is inspired by one of our greatest TikTok minds, Jake Shane (see the toks here and here). We also reminisce on Erica’s chronicles of the Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum and Nancy Meyer’s Instagram post about her daughter’s autograph book, and we can’t get over the Ikiki kid’s shoe lore, specifically the stories of Gina the Giraffe, Rafiq the Rhino, and Brittany Eversweet. AND! Give us all the intel on OurFamilyWizard—we’ll start with celebs that use the app and the company’s new offices.

If you’re looking to observe strike season, check out our favorite labor musicals The Pajama Game (1957) and Newsies (1992). Queue up “Carrying The Banner” and “Seize the Day”; cackle at the signs from a Newsies-themed WGA picket at Disney. 

We will hear any and all of your favorite nyms at 833-632-5463, [email protected], @athingortwohq, or our Geneva!

Turn to Shopify for all your ecomm needs and get a free 14-day trial with our link.

Find wellness on your next stay at Westin.

Cancel your unwanted subscriptions with Rocket Money—and manage your money the easy way.

Get  50% off your first DoorDash order up to a $20 value when you use the code ATHINGORTWO at checkout.

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A new day calls for new Thingies with Priya Rao, executive editor of The Business of Beauty at BoF and creator of the Glossy narrative skin-lightening podcast Unfair. But first: a camelid costume contest.

Priya’s beauty-centric Thingies include 111 Skin Eye Lift Gel NAC Y²™, Augustinus Bader The Rich Cream, Ilia Limitless Mascara , and Half Magic’s Glitter Pill. Her non-beauty Thingies? Cadets shorts for her kiddo (Claire also loves Billie Blooms), Lovevery Play Kits, The West Wing (and, ok, Felicity, Joy Ride, and Past Lives). Bonus reccomendations: the Sherri Papini story (coming soon in doc form), Scamanda, My Husband by Maud Ventura, and The Retrievals. 

Do you have new Thingies? Share them with us at 833-632-5463, [email protected], or @athingortwohq—or join our Geneva!

Help out your hair with Nutrafol. Take $15 off your first month’s subscription with the code ATHINGORTWO.

Find wellness on your next stay at Westin.

Head back to school with an MBA from The Georgia Tech Scheller College of Business.

Rocket Money

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The oddness of mood boards, some back-to-school content, and one heck of a food journey, featuring international ice cream, dream potato-chip collaborations, and dip delicacies worth dealing with baggage claim. Buckle in! 

Erica loves Word. notebooks, and Claire is all about the MochiThings checklist ones.

Some foods discussed: Magnum Double Starchaser, Jon and Vinny’s house salad, the 40 Aprons creamy clam dip recipe, Tenayo bean dip, Brothers Products black bean chipotle hummus, NYT's vegan onion dip recipe, and Gwyneth’s black bean recipe.

This AIGA Eye on Design story by Elizabeth Goodspeed had us reconsidering the mood board. 

Decoupage! Some of our favorite pieces are ones by Michelle Kim (see also: Kneeland Co.), John Derian, Joseph Heidecker, and Quintana Partners. See also: all the good stuff on Chairish. And, PSA: Mod Podge makes dishwasher-safe gloss and has incredible branding in general.

Share how you do your to-do lists with us at 833-632-5463, [email protected], or @athingortwohq—or join our Geneva!

This episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products and services. Individuals on the show may have a direct, or indirect financial interest in products, or services referred to in this episode.

Try professional counseling from BetterHelp and take 10% off your first month with our link.

Discover so many more natural diamond truths at naturaldiamonds.com/thankyou.

Find wellness on your next stay at Westin.

Embrace BTS season with an MBA from The Georgia Tech Scheller College of Business.

Start hiring now with a $75 sponsored-job credit to upgrade your job post at Indeed.

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Coming at you today, a 2022 favorite starring two topics we’re still struggling with: So you picked a travel destination…and then what? We’re sharing the (only somewhat insane!) steps we take and the resources we love for planning a vacation. Also: Let’s spend a moment discussing the late nineties/early aughts trends that are re-catching our eyes and the ones we think we won’t wear again. 

Some reflections on the Miu Miu skirt ℅ this NYT article “Brief Encounters With a Micro Miniskirt.” 

When thinking about trip-planning, this Harvard Busiess Review article on "The Hidden Traps in Decision Making" and this installment of Val Monroe’s newsletter came to mind.

We love scoping out hotels on Welcome Beyond, Tablet Hotels, iescape, and Mr. & Mrs. Smith (hot tip, their write-ups of what to do nearby will also point you toward good sites, shops, and restaurants). We also check out the press section on a hotel’s website, see if they’ve won any awards (which led Erica to amazingplaces.cz for Czech Republic recs), and use TripAdvisor and Instagram location tags to see some realistic photos of each hotel. For rentals, we search Airbnb and Vrbo reviews for terms like “noisy,” dig into host profiles for other properties, and remind ourselves that you can reach out to hosts with Qs.

Our favorite guides come from Goop, Curbed (like "The 21 Best Things to Do in Milan If You Love Design") Eater, Sight Unseen, Remodelista, Afar, Here, Fathom, Stranger’s Guide, and New York mag’s “Steal My Vacation", and Cabana. The physical Wallpaper* City Guides are great, and 1,000 Places to See Before You Die by Patricia Shultz is a satisfying book to have + mark up.  

Are you embracing the Y2K revival (slash Olivia Rodrigo’s Guts looks)? Share with us at 833-632-5463, [email protected], or @athingortwohq—or join our Geneva!

This episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products and services. Individuals on the show may have a direct, or indirect financial interest in products, or services referred to in this episode.

Find more weeknight dinner recipes at Pillsbury.com. 

Find wellness on your next stay at Westin.

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Produced by Dear Media

Make sure to double-knot your shoes because we’re running through a bunch of activewear brands, morning baths, kale phones, butter money, and COTC (corn on the cob, clearly).

You can read more about Vuori’s lore in Courier (and try out their Pose fitted polo, Daydream drew, and All the Feels bra for yourself). Other workout wear of interest: Splits59 (specifically their Raquel flared leggings), Wilson (how ‘bout these Wynne pleated pants and the pleated court short?), Tracksmith ( their Article One running sunglasses collab!), District Vision, Satisfy, On, Tory Sport, and Sweaty Betty. Curious about cool sports stores? We’ve heard good things about Distance in Paris, we love FrontRunners in L.A., and we have to hand it to Pete Carlson Golf and Tennis in Palm Desert for going *deep*. 

The everything shower! Consider this reel from The Everygirl your primer. 

If you’re looking to limit your oblivion time, check out the OneSec app…or consider the cocaine/kale phone, via George Mack by way of Trung Phan. Also, the to-google notepad, ℅ Courtney Martin. 

Butter sculpture season, our Bama Rush? A great read: "The Secret Feminist History of Butter Cows” by Lyz Lenz.

What activewear brands do you like, how do you morning bath if you do such a thing?! Share with us at 833-632-5463, [email protected], or @athingortwohq—or join our Geneva!

This episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products and services. Individuals on the show may have a direct, or indirect financial interest in products, or services referred to in this episode.

Paint your nails like a pro with Olive & June and use the code ATHINGORTWO for 20% off your first Mani System.

Trust Shopify for all your ecomm needs and get a free 14-day trial with our link.

Give your hair an assist with Nutrafol. Take $15 off your first month’s subscription with the code ATHINGORTWO.

Find wellness on your next stay at Westin.

Head back to school with an MBA from The Georgia Tech Scheller College of Business.

YAY.

Produced by Dear Media

Get in, bitch, we’re going…to talk all about cars, with a sprinkling of Thingies that are regrettably worth it. 

Some regrettably worth it submissions from IG (and our brains) include Skims (related from The Cut), sleep consultants for toddlers, law school, putting your phone in another room after 8 p.m., professional framing, going to Ikea, getting your shoes repaired at Leather Spa (see also: New York Sneaker Society), peeling chickpeas, and stretching. 

Do you love car washes as much as Kris Jenner, who compared the experience to Disneyland?

Car accessories that peak our interest include the car trash can, car tweezers, elevated car air fresheners (featuring DS and Durga, Three Potato Four, L:A Bruket, and Hello Adrienne), and, last but *certainly* not least, CarLashes.

Meghan Palmer’s That's so Interesting Newsletter gave us some great insights into car conversations.

What are your favorite car listens—songs, audiobooks, all of it? Share them with us at 833-632-5463, [email protected], or @athingortwohq—or join our Geneva! 

This episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products and services. Individuals on the show may have a direct, or indirect financial interest in products, or services referred to in this episode.

Get some support with professional counseling from BetterHelp and take 10% off your first month with our link.

Shop for groceries with Thrive Market and take 30% off your first order plus snag a free $60 gift when you use our link Thrivemarket.com/athingortwo

Become a green thumb with Fast Growing Trees—15% off your order when you use our link.

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Produced by Dear Media

We share our (hot?) takes on stickers and The Notebook; we share yours on your younger selves and Pioneer Day.

This week’s past-selves quotes come to you via Slouching Towards Bethlehem by Joan Didian and this profile of Ryan Gosling in GQ by Zach Baron.

The Notebook—James Marsden also has thoughts, ℅ this W mag profile by Evan Ross Katz. Related-ish: Roger Ebert’s own love story ​​"Roger loves Chaz."

Stickers! Sandylion on Etsy, @stickerarchive, Red Bubble's nineties collection, and the Xyron Create-A-Sticker, for starters. 

Let us know if you’re watching 1883 at 833-632-5463, [email protected], or @athingortwohq—or join our Geneva! 

This episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products and services. Individuals on the show may have a direct, or indirect financial interest in products, or services referred to in this episode.

Try professional counseling with BetterHelp and take 10% off your first month with our link.

Find wellness on your next stay at Westin.

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Today we’re diving into *your* Instagram Thingies submissions, rain clogs (yes, again), parenting stuff, and—wait for it—cotton-candy burritos. 

We learned about cotton-candy burritos via Amy Sedaris’s wonderfully random IG account. Who’s opening that Creamberry franchise? 

Two most popular Thingies right now: Checking out cookbooks from the library and the Owala FreeSip water bottle. Speaking of beverages, y’all have many ideas, including ice-cold Lillet Blanc with frozen orange slices, a Hugo spritz (prosecco + elderflower + soda water), a homemade Arnold Palmer, and a matcha lemonade (a close personal friend of said Arnold Palmer). 

Re: golf, Malbon’s collab with Nike (see also: Laura Reilly’s Magasin newsletter). Re: rain clogs, Calzuros, for your consideration. And do we all know about the AIGA Eye on Design blog?

In your good-news corner: Brentwood Country Mart’s celebration of Ninja Dave's retirement from UPS. Related: that Man Repeller style profile of their USPS guy, Aubrey Dowridge.

CORN! SeaVees shoes, Fernando Laposse wood, Shucked, fresh corn mochi cake c/o Food Network (paired with all the corn soft-serve we’re seeing), and Corn Kid content (the original viral video here; its musical remix here).

Finally, if you’re in NYC, do yourself a favor and see Alex Edelman’s one-man Just For Us on Broadway. (Related-ish: the romance novel A Shot in the Dark by Victoria Lee.)

What Thingies are you loving right now!? Share with us at  833-632-5463, [email protected], or @athingortwohq—or join our Geneva! 

This episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products and services. Individuals on the show may have a direct, or indirect financial interest in products, or services referred to in this episode.

Give your hair a boost with Nutrafol. Take $15 off your first month’s subscription with the code ATHINGORTWO.

Find more weeknight dinner recipes at Pillsbury.com. 

Find wellness on your next stay at Westin.

Take advantage of the Partner to Empower program for entrepreneurs of color from Brookfield Properties—apply by August 11.

Watch your garden flourish with Fast Growing Trees—15% off your order when you use our link.

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This week, we’re talking all things PMS and the many, many joy-givers in our lives. Shout-out to this ep’s sponsor, Jubilance, the most advanced scientific PMS mood relief supplement. Yes, that’s a thing—one that you can try by heading on over to jubilance.com/AThingOrTwo or using the coupon code ATHINGORTWO at checkout.

Kicking things off strong with the TikTok Taylor Swift Albums as Period Flows Pt. 2, which reminds us how major it was when Kotex used red liquid instead of blue and when Always got a ton of credit for showing…a red dot (more on the bluid from The Atlantic). 

PMS can get worse as you age—and is tied to mental health stuff. More on that from Health.com and Romper.

Happy, happy vs. joy, joy?? Reading c/o a Psychology Today interview with Dr. Pamela King, Joyful: The Surprising Power of Ordinary Things to Create Extraordinary Happiness by Ingrid Fetell Lee by, and Inciting Joy by Ross Gay. 

The hot bunny account: @officialaqibra.

What brings YOU joy? Share with us at  833-632-5463, [email protected], or @athingortwohq—or join our Geneva! Want more recommendations??? Try out a Secret Menu membership!

This episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products and services. Individuals on the show may have a direct, or indirect financial interest in products, or services referred to in this episode.

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Coming through with some thoughts on the intersection of friendship and ambition, covered wagon core (not to be confused with cottagecore!), and ~summer movies~.

Following up on our Wilder conversation, we’d like to discuss covered wagon core. See Kim K.’s CR Fashion Book spread “The Pioneer Woman,” Rudy Jude, Salter House, and making jam. 

Re: actual covered wagons, Conestoga does a luxe wagon and a bar wagon, both, and Pioneer Woman has a roundup of campgrounds with covered wagons.

Rainesford Stauffer’s “We Should Be Ambitious About Our Friendships” for Elle sparked our convo about friendship ambition—she’s also the author of An Ordinary Age: Finding Your Way in a World That Expects Exceptional and the new All the Gold Stars: Reimagining Ambition and the Ways We Strive. 

We love this tweet about friendship discussion agendas. As for books, this topic calls to mind Courtney Martin’s The New Better Off, Kayleen Schaefer’s Text Me When You Get Home, Aminatou Sow and Ann Friedman’s Big Friendship, and Hua Hsu’s Stay True. 

On our TBR list: Sheila Liming’s Hanging Out: The Radical Power of Killing Time. (In the meantime: “The Case for Hanging Out” by Dan Kois for Slate and The Ezra Klein Show episode "The ‘Quiet Catastrophe’ Brewing in Our Social Lives.") 

Bring on the summer movies! Obsessed with Past Lives, itching to see Theater Camp, Joy Ride, Problemista (see also: I Want to Be a Vase by Julio Torres), Red, White, & Royal Blue, Challengers, and, of course, Barbie (all the prophecies, including Margot Robbie in Vogue and Greta Gerwig in Gentlewoman, whet the appetite).

Do you have easy, low-pressure ways to keep up with friends? Let us know at 833-632-5463, [email protected], or @athingortwohq—or join our Geneva! And for more recommendations, try out a Secret Menu membership.   

This episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products and services. Individuals on the show may have a direct, or indirect financial interest in products, or services referred to in this episode.

Turn to Shopify for all your ecomm needs and get a free 14-day trial with our link.

Find more weeknight dinner recipes at Pillsbury.com. 

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Cottage cheese, pimento cheese, and us bringing our trademark cheese???

Cottage cheese—"whey cool," per the WSJ; a forever classic, per us. Skip the TikTok recipes and try this savory Bon Appétit salad or this (also BA) horseradish dip. If you’re in NYC, get yourself to Dimes for the breakfast Papaya D’Lite. (Somehow related: charred Mexican zucchini recipe.)

Calling all pimento cheeseheads: We rec Callie’s and Zingerman’s, wanna try this NYT Cooking frittata, and got a real history lesson from Serious Eats. 

It’s a life-hackathon, and the winners are the sticker produce thing, Option-Shift-Command-V and keeping stain remover in the bedroom (see also: Miss Mouth’s, savon de Marseille, and Soak).

All hail long vacation lunches! If you happen to be in Paris, get yourself to Glou and Mokonuts.

Some community Thingies submitted via our Instagram: Taylor Swift Lyric Sporcles, Famous Amos cookies (um, this, ℅ the History Channel!), and the Nili Lotan Brady tee (file under: regrettably worth it). 

What’s regrettably worth it in your life? Do you have a family apple? Share with us at 833-632-5463, [email protected], or @athingortwohq—or join our Geneva! And for more recommendations, try out a Secret Menu membership.

This episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products and services. Individuals on the show may have a direct, or indirect financial interest in products, or services referred to in this episode.

Treat your hair to Nutrafol. Take $15 off your first month’s subscription with the code ATHINGORTWO.

Find more weeknight dinner recipes at Pillsbury.com. 

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It’s time to revisit some ghosts of podcasts past, from rain clogs to private creative practices to an incredibly detailed review of an electric flosser. 

Our discussion of fun sports experiences is ongoing thanks to the Savannah Bananas, an exhibition baseball team that’s a must-follow on Instagram and TikTok. More on their founding story via WBUR. 

A morning-pages follow-up: Wendy MacNaughton created a DrawTogether 30-day Drawing Habit Experiment Challenge as a visual companion/alt. A quick hospice aside: Check out her forthcoming book How to Say Goodbye and the new release The In-Between: Unforgettable Encounters During Life's Final Moments by Hadley Vlahos R.N.  

A IG Thingies contributor recommended Plasticana mules as a summer rain shoe. And speaking of summer moisture, our listener Carly suggests battling mosquitos with Tougher than Tom Mosquito TNT. Report back?

On a private writing—or any creative!—practice, this Hanif Abdurraqib’s tweet thread.

Looking for a gift? May we suggest some of the items we are obsessing over, like Cat’s Cradle (see also: this TikTok), a Slate Flosser, Message sandals, and the Forme bra.  

Can’t shut up about the podcast Wilder! It digs deep into Laura Ingalls Wilder (good and bad) and made us think of this classic 2007 Jezebel piece by Lizzie Skurnick.

Let us know your flossing philosophy at 833-632-5463, [email protected], or @athingortwohq—or join our Geneva! And for more recommendations, try out a Secret Menu membership.

This episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products and services. Individuals on the show may have a direct, or indirect financial interest in products, or services referred to in this episode.

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Another 2022 crowd-pleaser coming at you! We road-tested a whole slew of the Thingies recent guests recommended, and we have much to share! Join us for this and some extremely entertaining voicemails responding to our question “What’s the sorority version of ‘praise and polish?’”

From our episode with Rumaan Alam, Claire was inspired to listen to the audiobook version of Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe, and Erica has been using Fitbod (but only doing the exercises she wants to). 

Thanks to Harling Ross Anton’s recs, Erica’s gotten indigestion aid from Deglycyrrhizinated Licorice (DGL). 

Claire took Kelly Wright’s suggestion and subscribed to Ronny’s Seltzer (which is a great supplement to her at-home Aarke seltzer maker). 

Erica’s been very into Jessica DeFino’s The Unpublishable newsletter, which Val Monroe raved about. A great installment to start with: Bella Hadid's Old Nose. Related content: The Glossy Podcast and the newsletter After School.

Whose Thingies picks do you want to hear? Let us know at 833-632-5463, [email protected], or @athingortwohq. And for more recommendations, try out a Secret Menu membership.

This episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products and services. Individuals on the show may have a direct, or indirect financial interest in products, or services referred to in this episode.

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It’s time to soothe your mind about summer (salad) dressing stress! Also, we talk the ideal American sporting event and overhosting, a term that speaks to us more than we’d like. 

Some dressings for summer and really whenever: Via Carota’s, Toro Bravo's, and Kewpie’s BUT FROM JAPAN. Both Mark Bittman and Samin Nosrat do a strong miso-mustard, and our no-recipe recipes are a honey-mustard (just honey, French’s yellow, red-wine vinegar, and olive oil) and the never-fail combo of ketchup, mayo, Old Bay, lemon, and salt. 

Re: minor-league (and G league) sports, more on the short-lived Pizza Rats c/o the New York Post. 

If you’re magnesium-curious, look into the ones from Moon Juice, Calm, and ReMag. 

What makes a summer dressing to you? Let us know at 833-632-5463, [email protected], or @athingortwohq—or join our Geneva! Grab a Secret Menu membership for all the recommendations.

This episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products and services. Individuals on the show may have a direct, or indirect financial interest in products, or services referred to in this episode.

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Can we spend a little time talking about creativity and exercise, including how our takes on both are feeling surprisingly similar these days? GREAT. Let’s get into.

For more on morning pages, we direct you to The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. And, a book that comes up a lot despite our mixed feelings about it: Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert. 

A YouTube vid Erica followed to write a novel, as recommended by Mary HK Choi.

Some workout wardrobe staples include unitards—check out Girlfriend Collective and Héros—and the posture-correcting sports bra from Forme (more from Fast Company).

If you need a work-out pep talk, you can always count on Coach Bennett. (And while we’re here: Thanks for programming this ep, ​​Sarah.)

How do you keep going with exercise? Are you a morning-pages person? Let us know at 833-632-5463, [email protected], or @athingortwohq—or join our Geneva! Grab a Secret Menu membership for more, more recommendations.

This episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products and services. Individuals on the show may have a direct, or indirect financial interest in products, or services referred to in this episode.

Discover so many more natural diamond truths at naturaldiamonds.com/thankyou.

Thwart PMS with Jubilance and get $10 off with the code ATHINGORTWO.

Amp up your garden with Fast Growing Trees and take 15% off your entire order with the code ATHINGORTWO.

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We’ve been graced with Thingies from Mattie Kahn, the author of wonderful new book Young and Restless, all about the teenage girls who have fueled America’s biggest-deal social movements. But first: bugs. 

Some great bug-repelling options include Gardner FlyWeb Fly Light Classic, LIV by Thermacell, Neepa Huts, Lygfzf screens, Bluefeel Kruca Camping Fan, and incense c/o Fredericks & Mae, Rinnesha (put it in a kayari buta!), and Madison James.

Young and Restless—the perfect read for right now…or any time.

Mattie’s Thingies include Sunday-morning newsletter review time (ft. Lauren Sherman’s Line Sheet, Becky Malinsky’s 5 Things You Should Buy, Hunter Harris’s Hung Up, Eater’s Add To Cart, and Rachel Tashjian Wise's Opulent Tips), Frog Hollow Farm (um, a Battle of the Peaches Box!), Salt & Straw ice cream deliveries, the Forsyth skirt by Kallmayer, and Saie Glowy Super Gel.

Have Thingies you NEED to tell us about? Share them with us at 833-632-5463, [email protected], or @athingortwohq—or join our Geneva! Grab a Secret Menu membership for more, more recommendations.

This episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products and services. Individuals on the show may have a direct, or indirect financial interest in products, or services referred to in this episode.

Try professional counseling with BetterHelp and take 10% off your first month with our link.

Tackle PMS with Jubilance and get $10 off with the code ATHINGORTWO.

Stock up on groceries with Thrive Market and get 30% off your first order plus a free $60 gift when you use our link.

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Sound your alarms! Today we’re rounding up alarm clock suggestions from our listeners, dedicating a much-needed 15 minutes to talk about gummy candy, and incorporating some new lingo into our (ever-evolving?) vocabs.

Alarm clocks suggested by our listeners include Lexon Cubissimo (shoutout to Sarah in our Geneva!) and Flip+ Travel. Also, how genius is having a NIGHT PHONE!?! (

For your consideration, we’re (re-)sharing some thoughts about buying things, including a letter of recommendation for shopping in person and takes on sourcing made-in-America products and acquiring things while traveling. One of our greatest-hit episodes of 2022!

If you’re interested in the idea of One Fit February (or the less alliterative One Fit April), score yourself some cool points and check out this installment of the Blackbird Spyplane’s newsletter by Jonah Weiner.

A rundown of some cool made-in-America brands here, and, if you’re looking for something specific, check out stillmadeinusa.com.

A couple standout MiA brands include the only whisk manufacturers in the U.S., Best Manufacturers based in Portland, Oregon, (more on them), and Libman mops and brooms based in Arcola, Illinois, since 1896 (the mayor Jesus Garza's story also!).  

Do you have opinions about buying things? Share them with us at 833-632-5463, [email protected], or @athingortwohq. Grab a Secret Menu membership for more, more recommendations.

This episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products and services. Individuals on the show may have a direct, or indirect financial interest in products, or services referred to in this episode.

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As the temps rise, we’re starting to think more and more about what to wear in *this weather* (and, while we’re at it, the celebs we love so much we’d like to give thim a daytime talk show). 

Are you paying enough attention to Brandi Carlile? As in, are you watching her coach her daughter on how to use a drill? See also: The Highwomen and their songs "Crowded Table" and "Redesigning Women" specifically. 

Onto summer dressing! (Shoutout to our last summer dressing ep, too.) And the never-ending search for summer dresses! In an effort to replicate the glory days of an old cotton Apiece Apart Josefina dress, Claire is trying out the Flore Flore Esme dress. 

For denim shorts, Claire recommends Raey’s Rivet and Tahiti styles, andErica loves Agolde’s Parker take. 

Summer shoes! On the sandal front, look to Message and Emme Parsons’s folded slides. For chipped-pedicure days, Repetto, Drogheria Crivellini, Martiniano (for The Row-ish look), and Rothy’s—they do a buzzed-about Mary Jane. Your open-toe mule fuel: Reike Nen (padded cut-out and woven and fringe!), Staud Simone and Janine, and Dries Van Noten (

Grabbing into a bag full of community-building opps, a fantastic celeb memoir, unhinged TikTok content, a hair-removal tool we’re into, tulip hacks, and….juice marketing? 

Our adventure at Peoplehood—more on that here—has us adding Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community by Robert D. Putnam to our reading list and thinking long and hard (too long, too hard?) about Amanda Mull’s piece for The Atlantic on Bed Bath & Beyond’s closing. 

File Tell Me Everything: A Memoir by Minka Kelly alongside Demi Moore’s Inside Out. 

Check out the hashtag #Unhinged7thheaven on TikTok for a wild ride. 

We endorse: Tweezerman’s Smooth Finish Facial Hair Remover, this trick that makes tulips stand tall, and the copywriting going on over at Eager.

Thoughts on sharing contacts…or anything at all? Hit us up at 833-632-5463, [email protected], or @athingortwohq—or join our Geneva! For more recommendations, try out a Secret Menu membership.

This episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products and services. Individuals on the show may have a direct, or indirect financial interest in products, or services referred to in this episode.

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Give Bad on Paper a listen—if you like this podcast, you’ll like that one.

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Don’t zone out just yet! This week we’re talking about what we do during our “oblivion time” and fandoms of our past, present, and future.

Some fandom-related content: “The Bethenny Clause,” the book Everything I Need I Get from You by Caitlin Tiffany, the article "‘It Made Me Believe That Love Wasn’t Real Anymore. And I Puked.’ Swifties on Cornelia Street take the Joe Alwyn breakup news as well as you’d expect" by Rachel Handler for Vulture, and the article "Psychologists Say That Belonging To A Fandom Is Amazing For Your Mental Health" by Brianna Wiest for Teen Vogue. Also: our past convo about this (and concert specifically).

Also relevant to our personal fandoms: The Baby-Sitters Club and the fact that the artist Hodges Soileau is selling the original paintings of the covers, Gudetama (and his NYT Dining section coverage), and the My Best Friend’s Wedding soundtrack. 

We want to know: How are you filling your oblivion time? And do you have alarm clock recs?? Share them with us at 833-632-5463, [email protected], or @athingortwohq—or join our Geneva! For more recommendations, try out a Secret Menu membership.

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We’re reminiscing about niche educational retail chains of our youth, making a case for pecans, and learning the rules of a hot girl walk (

Judy Blume forever!! A rallying cry and also the name of an incredible doc we need you to watch. And, let’s talk Thingies with Sue Chan, a tastemaker’s tastemaker—if you’ll allow it—who has all the event-hosting and condiment intel you need over at Care of Chan.

Plz watch the documentary Judy Blume Forever! And dig into Forever…, and Wifey with us? 

For all your *entertaining needs*, check out Sue’s site Care of Chan, which launches Thurs., April 27, with guides, interviews, and essays from chefs, florists, and producers to help us all feel more confident and comfortable with any sort of event-hosting we’re taking on.

Sue’s Thingies include condiments from The Japanese Pantry (specifically togarashi—also love us some Cabi and The Mala Market!), dried fruits from Yun Hai, masa from Masienda (their La Chicharra bowls, too), produce from Cookbook Los Angeles and the Hollywood Farmers' Market, a donabe from Toiro Kitchen, and custom stationery from Pettinaroli in Milan (for more gifting: Flamingo Estate). Some of her favorite restaurants for booking a six-top in NYC are Odeon, Omen Azen, and Lucien. 

Share your Thingies with us at 833-632-5463, [email protected], or @athingortwohq—or join our Geneva! For more recommendations, try out a Secret Menu membership.

This episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products and services. Individuals on the show may have a direct, or indirect financial interest in products, or services referred to in this episode.

Turn to Shopify, the trustiest ecomm platform around, and get a free 14-day trial with our link.

Drink water like never before thanks to air up. Get the best of both worlds,  tasty flavors, and all the benefits of water today at https://airup.link/3Mhd7M7. Use code ATHINGORTWO for 15% off your purchase.

Listen to Bad on Paper—if you like this podcast, you’ll like that one.

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This week’s grab bag includes clearing a path for love, the country-music equivalent of The Great British Bake Off, beige rice, and, ya know, lots more. 

Are you watching My Kind of Country? Start with Dhruv Visvanath’s cover of “Ring of Fire."

Shout out to Chalo cowboy boots and this Brie Larson cover story for Harper’s Bazaar for styling inspo. 

Sam Youkilis’s Instagram brought the topic of cutting citrus back to the podcast. See also: Priya Krishna and Connie Wang’s essays about cut fruit as a culturally Asian love language. 

An idea: Joe Holder’s one-week-a-month reboot. 

Cosigning a Jill Singers Thingie, The Rice Factory New York.

Liana Satenstein’s piece in Vogue about Donna Karan gave us the Y2k fashion we want to embrace. 

Share your thoughts about today’s ep with us at 833-632-5463, [email protected], or @athingortwohq—or join our Geneva! For more recommendations, try out a Secret Menu membership.

This episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products and services. Individuals on the show may have a direct, or indirect financial interest in products, or services referred to in this episode.

Level-up your underwear with SKIMS Fits Everybody and get free shipping on orders over $75.

Drink water like never before thanks to air up. Get the best of both worlds, tasty flavors, and all the benefits of water today at https://airup.link/3nNRCZ7.

Make that garden grow with Fast Growing Trees and get 15% off your entire order with the code ATHINGORTWO.

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If you’re a new listener curious about our ~lore~, you’re in luck! But before we discuss us, let’s talk about you and some of the Thingies you’ve been evangelizing about on Instagram.

Moisturizing agents recommended by listeners include Dior Creme Abricot, Olive & June Overnight Hand Treatment, Dr. Hauschka Lip Care Stick, Weleda Skin Food, Everyday Oil, Brazilian BumBum Cream, Ouai Body Creme, Tubby Todd, Summer Solace Tallow, Lucas’ Pawpaw Ointment, and tinted ChapStick. (Wait, sorry, did we know about custom ChapStick??) 

Also you all shared beauty products we’d never heard of before, like Kate McLeod Sex Stone, Nicole Caroline Facial Ice Sphere Kit, Londontown Kur Illuminating Nail Concealer, and The Ordinary Brow Serum. 

Earrings you can sleep in! From Maison Muri and Hey June. Also: clear earring backs for napping!!

What else are you obsessing over? Keyboard-cleaning goo like this stuff from Kikkerland, stain removers like Savon de Marseille and Grandma’s Spot Remover, and salad dressings like the ones by Little Creek Dressing and the Gotham Greens Green Goddess. 

People feel strongly about Oofos—are they the new Crocs?!

Our favorite Thingie of all? Bringing tea on a walk, leaving the mug in a random bush, and picking it back up later. Iconic.

Share your Thingies with us at  833-632-5463, [email protected], or @athingortwohq—or join our Geneva! For more recommendations, try out a Secret Menu membership.

This episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products and services. Individuals on the show may have a direct, or indirect financial interest in products, or services referred to in this episode.

This episode is brought to you by Betterhelp. Get professional counseling with BetterHelp and take 10% off your first month with our link.

Give your hair an assist with Nutrafol. Take $15 off your first month’s subscription with the code ATHINGORTWO.

Tune into to Bad on Paper—if you like this podcast, you’ll like that one.

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This week, we’re covering pressing and important moments in culture (the Scandoval), products of innovation (seam rippers), gifting strategies, a revelatory cookbook all about leftovers, and a topic we can not let sit any longer: cute postage stamps.  

If you’re new to the Vanderpump Rules Cinematic Universe, we highly suggest Sexy Unique Podcast as a viewing companion. 

Message Monsters stamps by Elise Gravel, a children’s book author, are available on foreverstamps.net.

Museum Gel will secure breakables from gentle earthquakes (toddlers running around the house included). 

To have your leftovers world rocked, we recommend The Everlasting Meal Cookbook: Leftovers A-Z by Tamar Adler, which is a companion to Love An Everlasting Meal: Cooking with Economy and Grace.

Do you have a gifting plan? Thoughts on the Scandoval? Share with us at 833-632-5463, [email protected], or @athingortwohq—or join our Geneva! For more recommendations, try out a Secret Menu membership.

This episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products and services. Individuals on the show may have a direct, or indirect financial interest in products, or services referred to in this episode.

Try out professional counseling with BetterHelp and take 10% off your first month with our link.

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May we discuss manicures, messes, and the intersection between manicures and messes and the social pressure to present as *having it all together*? Let’s go.

On gel manicures: Uché Blackstock is going to keep getting them, and Claire is too—but now with Maniglovz to protect her hands from those UV lights (and with CND Shellac whenever she can).

For a one-coat at-home mani, Olive & June Cosmic, Pleasing Pearly Tops, and Dior Glow deliver a shimmery, sheer finish. A listener said Dazzle Dry is one of their Thingies, and multiple of y’all have called-out Londontown Kur Nail Concealer (

Karla Welch, celeb stylist and co-founder of The Period Company, is here to talk Thingies, from life-changing books to an L.A. bagel worth a one-hour wait. Also, we dig into distraction…and deleting social-media accounts. 

Re: the impact of social media on our societies, ourselves: Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now by Jaron Lanier (and Zach Baron’s GQ profile of Jaron), Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport (and David Marchese's NYT Mag interview with Cal, and (what’s new?) Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman. 

Get your Karla Welch fix via her MasterClass on personal style and by shopping The Period Company, which now available at Walmart.

Karla’s Thingies include Emergent Strategy by Adrienne Marie Brown (which made us think about Saving Time by Jenny Odell), Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin, her client Sarah Polley (see also: Sarah’s film Women Talking and her New Yorker profile), Rhode peptide lip treatment, the NYT Cooking app (follow this IG account for the full commenter experience), Erewhon’s strawberry glaze smoothie, and Courage Bagels in L.A. 

Share your Thingies (and dream Thingies guests) with us at 833-632-5463, [email protected], or @athingortwohq—or join our Geneva! And for more recommendations, try out a Secret Menu membership.

This episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products and services. Individuals on the show may have a direct, or indirect financial interest in products, or services referred to in this episode.

Get that protein and fiber with Hero Bread—10% off your first order with the code ATHINGORTWO.

Go plant-crazy with Fast Growing Trees and get 15% off your entire order with the code ATHINGORTWO.

Listen to Bad on Paper—if you like this podcast, you’ll like that one.

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If you’ve been asking “Why aren’t more podcasts talking about Magic Mike’s Last Dance and Girl Scouts?” you’ve come to the right place. Shall we??

What do the critics have to say about Magic Mike? Here’s Shirley Li at The Atlantic, Emma Specter at Vogue, A.O. Scott at the NYT, Richard Brody at The New Yorker, Bob Mondello at NPR, and Kyle Smith at the Wall Street Journal. 

Channing’s look right now! Specifically this Met Gala pic and this Variety cover! He and Zoë Kravitz share a stylist, Andrew Mukamal (who was featured on Kell on Earth—see also: this Interview interview with Kelly Cutrone).  

If you’re into the business side of Magic Mike, check out WSJ’s story “For Magic Mike, Channing Tatum Looked for Strippers Moms Could Love.” As for Channing’s other creative projects: Sparkella, Born & Bred Vodka (more from BonApp), and the much-hyped romance novel he’s writing with Roxane Gay. (Unrelated but also totally related, Tessa Bailey’s reverse-harem romance Happenstance.)  

Oh, Girl Scouts, preparing girls to meet the world with courage, confidence, and character since 1912! We love the logo redesign by Collins, and if you need a cookie source, buy them from Troop 6000, a first-of-its-kind program designed to serve families living in temporary housing in the New York City shelter system, or from trans girls around the country. 

Another scouting org we love: Radical Monarchs, which creates opportunities for girls and  gender-expansive youth of color—this doc is great.

Share your Magic Mike reviews with us at 833-632-5463, [email protected], or @athingortwohq—or join our Geneva! And for more recommendations, try out a Secret Menu membership.

This episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products and services. Individuals on the show may have a direct, or indirect financial interest in products, or services referred to in this episode.

Try out professional counseling with BetterHelp and take 10% off your first month with our link.

Help your hair with Nutrafol. Take $15 off your first month’s subscription with the code ATHINGORTWO.

Get more out of your bread with Hero Bread—10% off your first order with the code ATHINGORTWO.

Sleep well with Boll & Branch—get 15% off your first set of sheets when you use the promo code ATHINGORTWO.

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Our two new favorite terms and a bunch of thoughts on what to eat (such a conundrum, always, why?), coming at you on this week’s episode. Dig in!

Ok, food things: We’re big fans of the the Food52 Simply Genius cookbook (and Food52 Genius Desserts, too) by Kristen Miglore. To start, try the 5-minute tomato sauce from Heidi Swanson (which reminded Claire of this slightly more complicated sauce she had last summer) and Canal House’s chicken thighs.

Some other cooking wins: this polenta soup recipe from Christopher Kimball, oven-fried artichokes, Ali Slagle’s cheesy white bean tomato bake, and Toro Bravo's radicchio salad with manchego vinaigrette.  

This Eater story by Jaya Saxena speaks to our love of tiny spoons and brought this amazing T-shirt to our attention.

Let us know your tiny spoon stance at 833-632-5463, [email protected], or @athingortwohq—or join our Geneva! And for more recommendations, try out a Secret Menu membership. 

This episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products and services. Individuals on the show may have a direct, or indirect financial interest in products, or services referred to in this episode.

Level-up your bread with Hero Bread—10% off your first order with the code ATHINGORTWO.

Get that MBA with The Georgia Tech Scheller College of Business.

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This week, we’re talking Thingies with Rachel Seville Tashjian Wise, fashion news director at Harper's Bazaar and creator of the coolest invite-only newsletter on the block, Opulent Tips. Also, we bring you more CRINGE.

To ride the cringe wave, check out this perfect Julie Houts post, Yasi Salek and the podcast Bandsplain (friends, the T-shirt), and the newsletter Club Leftist Tennis’s installment “Tennis is for Weirdos” by Kate Wagner. Also, NYT’s misread of cringe.

Rachel’s Thingies: hats (including ones from The Hat Shop, Amy Downs, and Gigi Burris), collections of strange objects (see also: Leanne Ford’s Feel Free mag), the weird Hitchcock movies like Vertigo (for more good blond wigs: Wong Kar Wai’s Chungking Express), designers who are creating wardrobes (including Toteme, Casey Casey, The Row, Sofie D'Hoore, Lauren Manoogian, 7115 by Szeki, Lafayette 148—read Rachel’s story for more on this!), and this profile of Judith Thurman along with her book, Isak Dinesen: The Life of a Storyteller.

Some other things discussed: the Isaac Mizrahi doc Unzipped, the brands Puppets and Puppets and Luar, the Lydia Tár Twitter account, Spur Jewelry’s usage of close friends, and Etéreo Vintage. 

Have thingies you want to share? Let us know at 833-632-5463, [email protected], or @athingortwohq—or join our Geneva! And for more recommendations, try out a Secret Menu membership.

This episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products and services. Individuals on the show may have a direct, or indirect financial interest in products, or services referred to in this episode.

Try our beloved ecomm platform, Shopify, and get a free 14-day trial with our link.

Explore an MBA with The Georgia Tech Scheller College of Business.

Get more out of your bread with Hero Bread—10% off your first order with the code ATHINGORTWO.

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Hello, this is she! Today we’re reaching into a grab bag filled with TVs, social omnivores, room dividers, and favorite internet follows. 

For more on the social omnivore, check out this Bon Appétit article by Ali Francis. 

Room dividers have come a long way—see: Lichen, The Inside, Sarah Ellison's for DWR, and Sight Unseen’s round up.

Delightful follow number one: Emily Sundberg and her newsletter Feed Me. She wrote "Whole Milk Mounts its Triumphant Comeback" and "Welcome to the Shoppy Shop" and recently surfaced this 2019 interview with Kevin Systrom by Stella Bugbee, too. (Related-ish newsletters: After School by Casey Lewis and Public Announcement c/o Chris Black and James Ellis.)

Number two: Delia Cai, whose debut novel Central Places is out now—*please* see also: her IG for the book, her Twitter account, and her interview on this pod. (Other v specific IG follows: @smallbizmemez and @dankartdirectormemes.)

Number three: the financial-literacy TikToker Seema Sheth aka Bobeema and her financial cleanse series. Speaking of $$ stuff, Carl Nassib’s compound interest lesson from Hard Knocks and Women and Money by Suze Orman.

Finally, this tweet (by Lily Marotta, co-host of the Celebrity Book Club podcast) transported us. 

Where is the TV in your home? How you you answer the phone? Let us know at 833-632-5463, [email protected], or @athingortwohq—or join our Geneva! And for more recommendations, try out a Secret Menu membership.

This episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products and services. Individuals on the show may have a direct, or indirect financial interest in products, or services referred to in this episode.

Look into getting an MBA with The Georgia Tech Scheller College of Business.

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Break out the headphones because have recommendations for those looking for audio-based catharsis, starring revenge songs and an insightful podcast about grief. Also: We’re redefining our relationship with restaurants and asking men to start paying more attention to the parenting discourse.

Some ideas for your next revenge playlist: “BZRP” by Shakira, “Flowers” by Miley Cyrus, “All Too Well” by Taylor Swift, “good 4 u” by Olivia Rodrigo, “Gaslighter” by The Chicks, “Love Yourself” by Justin Beiber, “Cherry” by Harry Styles, “Irreplaceable” by Beyoncé, “You Oughta Know” by Alainis Morrisette, “Before He Cheats” by Carrie Underwood, “Kerosene” by Miranda Lambert, and “I Hope” by Gabby Barrett. 

We also highly recommend you check out the discography of Beverly Glenn-Copeland. 

More for your ears: Anderson Cooper’s podcast All There Is. Start with the "Anticipatory Grief" and "Molly Shannon’s Unspeakable Loss" episodes. 

If you’re in NYC and looking to redefine your restaurant experience, try Gjelina for bfast, Wagamama for lunch, and Joe’s Shanghai—or your Michigan Stars—for dinner. 

On the current state of social media: Kyle Chayka’s New Yorker piece “The Year in Apps I Gave Up On.”

We want/need your thoughts on vintage! Share them with us at 833-632-5463, [email protected], or @athingortwohq—or join our Geneva! And for more recommendations, try out a Secret Menu membership.

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give professional counseling a go with BetterHelp and take 10% off your first month with our link.

Support your hair with Nutrafol. Take $15 off your first month’s subscription with the code ATHINGORTWO.

Explore an MBA with The Georgia Tech Scheller College of Business.

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We have some follow-ups, ok?? Let’s revisit induction stoves, slipping rib syndrome, living with longing, being in touch with your younger self, and, of course, jibbitz—specifically ones featuring a grandpa’s face. 

Oooh, has that induction cooktop convo heated up! Read this from the Public Interest Research Group on the Inflation Reduction Act (and $$$), this Bloomberg article “US Safety Agency to Consider Ban on Gas Stoves Amid Health Fears,” an installment of Michael Thomas’s Distilled newsletter “I Measured the Pollution From My Gas Stove. It Was Bad,” Alison Roman’s Twitter AMA, and Remodelista’s guide to compact induction cooktops/ranges. 

To learn more about zankha, Lina Mounzer's Twitter thread (and the related Reddit post). 

Speaking of dishware, Heller Vignelli’s is back at MaMA Design Store! Read more about it here.

Kate’s Butter, a Thingies award winner, changed its packaging :( :( :( More on the flattening of design from a Business of Fashion op-ed by John Whelan "The Revolution Will Not Be Serifised: Why Every Luxury Brand’s Logo Looks the Same." 

This Death, Sex & Money Podcast episode with The Daniels!! And Daniel Kwan's related IG post!! 

Finally, how could we not to turn a corner on jibbitz after watching this TikTok of Liam Ryan presenting his grandchildren with Crocs and *jibbitz with his face on them*. Which reminded us of this WSJ story “When Grandma Is a TikTok Star and the Grandkids Are the Managers.” 

Are there any topics from previous episodes you want us to revisit? Let us know at 833-632-5463, [email protected], or @athingortwohq—or join our Geneva! For a whole lot more recommendations, try out a Secret Menu membership.

Download the free Zocdoc app and book that doctor’s appointment. Let’s do it.

Get that good sleep with Boll & Branch—get 15% off your first set of sheets when you use the promo code ATHINGORTWO.

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We’re giving you the styling and Thingies scoop with our special guest Lakyn Carlton! Bonus scoop: the pros and cons of scooped-out foods.

Introducing the scooped-out pizza, ℅ Minnesota’s Hazelwood Food & Drink. And leave it to the New York Post to provide scooped-out bagel commentary in 2010 and 2016.

Get more Lakyn via her fantastic newsletter True Style and her virtual and in-person styling sessions.

Lakyn’s Thingies include Muddy Paw Coffee in L.A. for a dog-friendly coffee experience (and proximity to one of her go-to vintage shops, The Curatorial Department), her Bown of London robe (additional robe content: ones from Block Shop and Ulysses and the romance novel Georgie, All Along by Kate Clayborn), and a custom doormat from TheDoormatory on Etsy.

Share your take on pizza with salad and/or personal style at 833-632-5463, [email protected], or @athingortwohq—or join our Geneva! Try out a Secret Menu membership for more recommendations.

Do ecomm right with Shopify. Get a free 14-day trial with our link.

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Buckle in, listeners, because we’re diving head-first down the rabbit hole of *cringe*. What does cringe look like these days? How do we embrace it—the good kind? How do cut everyone (ourselves included) some cringe slack?

If you’re not getting our newsletter!

Today’s prompt: Nell Diamond’s repost of a tweet from @isabelunraveled. (For more on Nell, founder of Hill House Home, dip into these profiles from New York Magazine and Harper’s Bazaar.)

The Justin Long post. Discuss!

For some cringe backstory: Kaitlyn Tiffany’s story “How Did We Get So ‘Cringe’?” for The Atlantic.

We had to revisit Elizabeth Gilbert’s Big Magic—because avoiding cringe and chasing perfectionism are related…no? See also: Ninth Street Women by Mary Gabriel, David Brandon Geeting’s installment of the Perfectly Imperfect newsletter, and the edition of Kaelen Haworth’s Kael Mail newsletter about ins but no outs. 

Check out Her Country by Marissa R. Moss. Among the themes: how Kacey Musgraves, Maren Morris, and Mickey Guyton gave up on wanting people to like them to find success.  

On finding affection for your younger self: this Anne Helen Petersen newsletter, Jonah Hill’s doc Stutz, the podcast Mortified, Justin Cooley on his role in Kimberly Akimbo, and Mo Willems in the NYT.

A definition of post-cringe; an example of post-cringe: Kaitlin Phillips.

How are you embracing cringe? Who’s your cringe-spiration? We need your thoughts at 833-632-5463, [email protected], or @athingortwohq—or join our Geneva! For a whole lot more recommendations, try out a Secret Menu membership.

Download the free Zocdoc app and book that doctor’s appointment—now’s the time!

Help out your hair with Nutrafol. Take $15 off your first month’s subscription with the code ATHINGORTWO.

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We are rejuvenated-ish from our holiday breaks and are ready to fill you in on winter-wedding dress codes, the pegboard discourse, sexy high school, and, ope!, more Midwest updates.

Our discussion about wedding dress codes brings us back to Kayleen Schaefer’s story for The Cut “The Bride and Groom Formally Request That You Dress Up.” And for actual winter beach dressing, see this 2017 Vogue cover and Harrison Ford’s shorts with sweaters. 

We loved this 2019 NYT story about how brand names become generic.   

Re: pegboards, Julia Child’s is obv the ultimate, but for mini ones, look to Quark and Little Anana. 

If you’re also disillusioned by movie trailers, read this Vox story by Alissa Wilkinson. (Also, we endorse She Said the movie…but She Said the book more.)

Next time you're in the Midwest, get kringle from O&H Danish Bakery or a *kringle single* from Racine Danish Kringles.

What foods are you sneaking into the movies? Let us know 833-632-5463, [email protected], or @athingortwohq—or join our Geneva! And try out a Secret Menu membership for a whole lot more recommendations.

This episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products and services. Individuals on the show may have a direct, or indirect financial interest in products, or services referred to in this episode.

Take care of your hair with Nutrafol. Take $15 off your first month’s subscription with the code ATHINGORTWO.

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Produced by Dear Media

This week’s conversation knows no bounds! We’ve got key limes, medical answers via TikTok, makeup-buying IRL, a photo-minded Instagram follow, induction stoves, and a solution to the silicone storage bags issue (because there is one).

Have you made Alison Roman’s take on key lime pie? It involves yogurt/sour cream, a win if you ask us. Related-ish: Leaked Recipes: The Cookbook: A Collection of Over 50 Recipes Found in the World's Biggest Email Leaks and the Stories Behind Them, Neiman Marcus’s “leaked” cookie recipe, and Bill Smith's Atlantic Beach Pie.

Um, medical updates, coming through! Thanks to @roseytimestwo for bringing slipping rib syndrome to our attention. Also: Our pitch for Capsule for your prescription needs still stands (and check out Alto Pharmacy if Capsule doesn’t serve your city). 

Shopping in-person brought the impressive Westman Atelier Vital Skincare Complexion Drops into Erica’s life (paired with a brush from Vapour).

If you’re over storage bags soaking up the scent of your dish soap, try HoldOn for compostable kitchen (and garbage!) bags.

For an incredible lens into imagery’s impact on society, Emily Keegin and her IG is blowing Claire away. 

To learn more about induction stoves, dig into this Fast Company article and Melissa Clark’s NYT story and follow what Copper (thanks for sharing, Sofia!) and Impulse are up to. 

Have thoughts on any and all of this to share? Reach out to us at 833-632-5463, [email protected], or @athingortwohq—or join ur Geneva! For a whole lot more recommendations, try out a Secret Menu membership.

This episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products and services. Individuals on the show may have a direct, or indirect financial interest in products, or services referred to in this episode.

Try professional counseling with BetterHelp—now’s the time!—and take 10% off your first month with our link.

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The holidays can be *hard*, and if you need some guidance on figuring out how to show up for the people in your life, Nora McInerny knows what she’s talking about. Fire up this rerun from 2021, and crack open her latest book, Bad Vibes Only, which makes for an excellent way to kick of a strong year of reading.

In case of emergency gifts for grown-ups: consumables (candles, condiments, beauty products!). For babies: Lewis swaddles and Sophies. For kids: Twee chalk, Sunprint Kits, and Omy coloring posters.

Dig into everything Nora McInerny puts out into the world, including the tremendous podcast Terrible, Thanks for Asking and her books It's Okay to Laugh (Crying Is Cool Too), No Happy Endings, and Hot Young Widows Club (and created a Facebook grief support group of the same name).

The NYT piece on the sex educator Justine Ang Fonte and the platinum rule.

The Ring Theory, which we really buy into and talk about a lot! 

A Kids Book about Empathy...that’s potentially useful for adults, too.

Friends, this TikTok series from Carly Aquilino on Y2K fashion.

Hit us with your guest noms—or anything else—at 833-632-5463, [email protected], or @athingortwohq. Or join our Geneva! And try out a Secret Menu membership for a whole lot more recommendations.

This episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products and services. Individuals on the show may have a direct, or indirect financial interest in products, or services referred to in this episode.

Download the free Zocdoc app and book that doctor’s appointment. New year, healthy you?

Care for your hair with Nutrafol. Take $15 off your first month’s subscription with the code ATHINGORTWO.

YAY.

Produced by Dear Media

One of our most popular (winning??) episodes of 2021, coming at you!

The usefulness of the term bitch eating crackers (BEC) (for context: Someecards).

Celebrity memoirs as audiobooks: Inside Out by Demi Moore, Acid for the Children by Flea, and Yearbook by Seth Rogen (see also: this profile by Jonah Weiner for NYT Magazine). Next up: My Life So Far by Jane Fonda, Faithfull by Marianne Faithful,  The Last Black Unicorn by Tiffany Haddish. Oh, and: the podcast Celebrity Book Club with Steven & Lily. Also: Please read Open by Andre Agassi and J.R. Moehringer!

Important breaking news: There is now Spelling Bee merch.   

Let’s hear Claire’s QVC pitch for the Pattern mist spray bottle!! Somewhat related: Mario Badescu Facial Spray with Aloe, Herbs and Rosewater...as a hair product?

Erica’s 11 a.m. tea go-to: Soul Chai. Another (slightly sweetened rec): Dona.

A workspace-changing Philips Hue light strip. You may also like: Gorilla mounting tape, Storage Theory Power Perch, and the Pretty Handy Girl video for changing your doorknobs.

Jewelry renovation with Spur = talk about amazing.

Have thoughts?? We want ‘em: 833-632-5463, [email protected], or @athingortwohq—or join our Geneva! And try out a Secret Menu membership for a whole lot more recommendations.

Produced by Dear Media

Get ready for an extra-magical grab bag episode—partly because we’re recording in person! Its stars: a question we loved so much, our conflicted boots, gossiping about toddlers, an impassioned pitch for Farmer's Fridge, setting calendar alerts for topics of conversation, and the most revelatory jeans that have ever crossed our fitting-room doors.

Movie we’re itching to see: Women Talking (thanks for the pitch, Fran.) based on this Miriam Toews book.

The winter boots we have mixed feelings about…but wear the crap out of: Claire’s No.6 clog ones (covered by The New Yorker *and* The New York Times) and Erica’s Doc Marten zip chelsea style.

Should you find yourself in an airport: Eat Farmer's Fridge! Try the baja bowl, green goddess salad, or pineapple coconut chia pudding.

Dr. Harvey Karp’s Happiest Toddler on the Block, source of toddler gossip advice.

Anne Helen Petersen on calendar culture.

For some WOW-inducing jeans, check out Ganni’s Figni style (and perhaps watch the vid of how they work?). For more on statement flies, see Tibi’s double-waisted Sam jean and this Vogue story. Another good denim source: Totême.

Have thoughts about jeans/winter boots/airport food? Let us know 833-632-5463, [email protected], or @athingortwohq—or join our Geneva! And try out a Secret Menu membership for a whole lot more recommendations.

This episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products and services. Individuals on the show may have a direct, or indirect financial interest in products, or services referred to in this episode.

Zip over to Noihsaf Bazaar to buy, sell, and even make new friends.

Get that good ecomm experience with Shopify. Get a free 14-day trial with our link.

Count on LifeMD to get the telehealthcare you need, when you need it.

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Let’s talk Thingies with Monica Khemsurov & Jill Singer! They’re the masterminds behind Sight Unseen, our go-to design resource since 2009, and the authors of the new book How to Live with Objects that has helpful tips aplenty (along with ample inspiration). Plus: a hate-gift idea and a belated love letter to Normal People. 

How about a donation to Moms for Moms, pitched to us as an A+ hate-gift by a listener?

Monica and Jill’s book How to Live with Objects is out now! Wow, is it great—and what an ideal present for the “person who has everything” type.

Their Thingies, coming through: oversize decor, miniature fountains (Monica’s is from Lily Clark.), only buying the best version of a consumable something (Jill loves the Marie Veronique Barrier Lipid Complex, rice from The Rice Factory New York, and Glaser Organic Farms Almond Butter.), microwaves (David Chang Cooking at Home and Anyday cookware fans unite!), and saved search terms when exploring vintage objects. 

Are there entertainment-y things you’re SHOCKED we haven’t talked about on this show? Leave us a voicemail at 833-632-5463, email us at [email protected], DM us at @athingortwohq —or join our Geneva and share! 

This episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products and services. Individuals on the show may have a direct, or indirect financial interest in products, or services referred to in this episode.

Care for your hair with Nutrafol. Take $15 off your first month’s subscription with the code ATHINGORTWO.

Check out Noihsaf Bazaar to buy, sell, and even make new friends.

Download the free Zocdoc app and book that doctor’s appointment.

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Ope! We’re back with a grab bag of questions: What does “After Dark” mean to you? How does one explain what consulting is? Are you signed up for Dua Lipa’s newsletter? What does it mean to actually *build* a bear? All this and more in your ears now!

For some discomfitting Build-a-Bear products for adults, enter The Bear Cave. For other “but what does it MEAN?” After Dark content, check out National Parks After Dark and this edition of Emily Henry’s Book Lovers. 

Check out this YouTube video from Charlie Berens for on ope usage and Midwest vs. Everybody’s great ope merch. Also: on the rise of the Midwestern vibe.

Takeaways re: "A ‘Landmark’ as Women Will Coach Against Each Other in Men’s Soccer," which also made us think about this episode of Throwing Fits.

Join us in subscribing to Dua Lipa’s newsletter Service95 and listening to her podcast At Your Service. 

Share your thoughts on all of this at 833-632-5463, [email protected], or @athingortwohq—or join our Geneva! And try out a Secret Menu membership for a whole lot more recommendations. 

Get into professional counseling with BetterHelp and take 10% off your first month with our link.

Visit Noihsaf Bazaar to buy, sell, and even make new friends.

Feel great in Honeylove and get 20% off with the code ATHINGORTWO.

Dig into your business’s numbers with Netsuite.

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For this glorious ep, we partnered with Noihsaf Bazaar, the Duluth, Minnesota–based resale site curated by real people with excellent taste. Wow, how excited we are to talk secondhand shopping and Thingies with the very in-the-know founder Kate Lindello…and we’ll also take this (any?) opportunity to go nuts for corn nuts. 

Kate’s Thingies include Monastery Attar Concentrate (perhaps start with—or gift—the discovery kit), Tibi Style Class, the Dik-Dik from Matek (which makes us think of dickey situations from Nanamica and Mijeong Park), Better Things, Peter Witrak’s mobiles, the wool cloud from Scarf Shop, and, of course, Minnesota in general (and Grandma’s Marathon specifically). 

Hit us up at at 833-632-5463, [email protected], or @athingortwohq to let us know your dream Thingies guests, and for even more recommendations, try out a Secret Menu membership and join our Geneva. 

Join a super-cool community of buyers and sellers at Noihsaf Bazaar. So much awesomeness to be had! We dare you to find a more informative (and enticing) brands page anywhere, and don’t sleep on the kids and home finds, ok?

Produced by Dear Media

We’re wrapping up (heh) this year’s gift guides with ideas for siblings, kids, aunts and uncles, colleagues, and the randos in your life you wanna treat extra nice. Have holiday-shopping thoughts of your own you *need* to share? Join our shiny new Geneva and spread that intel! 

For all our ideas, check out the archive of gift guides past—and keep those VMs and DMs coming at 833-632-5463 and @athingortwohq!

A quick thanks to our sponsors:

Explore our favorite MoMA Design Store finds—a one-stop shop!

Give your hair TLC with Nutrafol. Take $15 off your first month’s subscription with the code ATHINGORTWO.

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Sisters!

For my sister and me because we both had/are having babies this year, and we are culturally christian literally only for the christmas cheer. Baby's first christmas holiday ornaments that aren't absolutely dreadful. So much cheesy stuff, doesn't have to be baby themed but looking for a cool way to commemorate.

• Custom porcelain charms from OKS
• FoxBlossomCo custom bent-wire ornament 
• Lizzie Fortunato Alphabet Soup charms 
• Celina Mancurti monogrammed Christmas stockings or one-of-a-kind ones from Pyschic Outlaw

Step-sister; 18 and just got engaged. Likes to hunt. We are quite different.

• Ranger Station perfumes
• Yeti something! Various of the tumblers are customizable.
• Camber sweatshirt
• Vuori
• Beis weekender
• Flannery Beef

My sister who is a palliative care nurse with a broadway and true crime obsession

• Antipast compression socks
• Bonnie and Neil wave bath mat
• TodayTix gift card
• Broadway Dance Center classes
• Salty Seattle Crocchi croissant-shaped gnocchi
• Tickets to True Crime: The Musical at The Players Theatre in NYC

Brothers!

25-year-old brother, aspirational and practicing writer/actor/director, v into self-improvement (Tim Ferriss vibes), not into receiving gifts, would rather just buy what he wants when he wants, the curveball is he did say I could make him some art or buy him some art as apartment decor.

• Artwise signed posters and lithographs
• Art from Kneeland Co.
• Louisiana Museum of Modern Art posters and prints
• Get Your Shit Together by David Shrigley
• Martin Scorsese MasterClass

Early 20s brothers who still live at home.

• A24 99 Movie Crosswords
• Rap Capital by Joe Coscarelli
• Solid Wiggles, which now ships on Gold Belly
• Athletic Greens
• Dohm white noise machine
• Anyday microwave cookware

Sons!

25 year old son who buys the nicer things because they last, but who is also a minimalist.

• Something from Labour & Wait or Puebco
• Ettitude sheets. 
• Toyo toolbox
• Bottega Veneta moneyclip

Kids and Teens!

5-year-old who bounces off the walls and loves telling stories and recapping movies.

• Hugimal weighted stuffed animal
• Haba doorway puppet theater or Wonder & Wise by Asweets playhouse
• Cosmic Kids Yoga subscription 
• P.S.- We Made This: Super Fun Crafts That Grow Smarter + Happier Kids! by Erica Domesek
• Little Passports
• Kidamento camera
• Lego MiniFigs 

4-year-old who loves twirly dresses but mom's aesthetic is minimalist Brooklyn hipster.

• Unwind Studio needlepoint kit for kids
• Kazoo magazine subscription
• OLODesigns costumes
• All Small Co dress section (see: kiwi puff tutu dress and Lisa Says Gah x All Small Co puff sleeve dress) 
• La Réunion custom azure patchwork dress 
• Primary cozy plaid dress or tutu dress
• Follies playhouses: Casa Azul set, The Bauhaus set, and Canvas set

13year old girl who claims she discovered preppy fashion and also loves hair product

• Vintage Ralph Lauren shirts—use search terms Y2K, cropped
• Used copy of The Official Preppy Handbook
• Monogrammable mini backpack from Paravel
• Rose and Co candle makers 
• Pattern mist spray bottle + microfiber hair towel
• Shop Milk Teeth barrettes
• Chunks hair accessories
• Some TikTok-adjacent cooking things: DIY fortune cookie kit, The Dough Club mochi pancake and waffle mix, Takashi Murakami flower pancake pan
• Lumber Club Marfa stool

Aunts and Uncles!

A generous aunt whose language is giving other people gifts, but hard to buy for herself. She's a real estate agent, into some woo-y self-help stuff, and buys anything she needs right away. Have tried gift certificates for experiential things, but she's a busy lady and these often don't get redeemed.

• An easy-to-redeem gift card for food that’s good for entertaining that comes to her. In NYC: Stocked by 3 Owls gift card. In LA: Lady & Larder. Nationwide: Beauty & the Board.
• Cultish by Amanda Montell 
• A flower subscription from Flowerbx or BloomsyBox
• Moon Lists workbook / guided journal
• Amiacalva tote or monogrammed Clare V Tropezienne. 
• Fancy, pretty makeup like Dries Van Noten lipstick or perfume discovery set or Hermès lipstick or blush brush. 

Colleagues!

Beloved senior colleague retiring: works in a museum, fun dog, rocks a funky necklace. 

• Lux Eros personalized pet bowl
• Kikkerland wooden ball launcher
• Ameico candle stacks
• Roxanne Assoulin necklace
• Susan Alexandra dog collar or leash
• Saint Olio aromatic dog refresher

Coworkers/direct reports - ideally one idea for all. We are remote so a digital gift is ideal. 

• A Thing or Two Secret Menu subscription
• Substack subscription: To give a gift subscription, go to the homepage of the publication you’d like to give, then add “/gift” to the end of the URL.
• Libro.fm subscription
• Gjusta Goods herbed salt and Burlap & Barrel Zanzibar black peppercorns and Graza olive oil
• Allie’s banana bread 
• Good-looking games like Wingspan, Azul, Lacorsa Grand Prix, and Casa Lopez Playing Cards. 

My boss - owns a company that runs farmer markets. I’ve been with the company since may. He is currently starting a farm (he has been a farmer before). I am honestly not sure if he is a Christmas guy. He doesn't seem jazzed about it, idk. I know he cares enormously about sustainability, our food system, etc. but is also a business man. I have literally zero ideas for him. The additional piece is that we should get him a gift as a group (we are a pretty small team) but should I also get him a sep gift? No, right? Agh. I assume he's in his mid to late 40s. White. He has small kids that I haven't met.

• Chocolate! ℅ Fossa, andSons Chocolatiers, and JST Chocolate 
• Alec’s Ice Cream
• Séka Hills olive oil
• An Illustrated Catalog of American Fruits and Nuts
• Flamingo Estate 9-pound bag of manure 
• Donation to Black Farmer Fund paired with We Are Each Other's Harvest: Celebrating African American Farmers, Land, and Legacy by Natalie Baszile
• Donation to Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative at University of Arkansas

Friends!

Best friend (36 female) loves wine and who my 5 yo thinks has chosen being an aunt as her career. 

• Josephinen glasses
• Special bottle from Walker Wines or Winebid
• Cote wine club (also has a gift box option)
• 99 Bottles: A Black Sheep’s Guide to Life-Changing Wines by André Hueston Mack
• An American in Provence: Art, Life and Photography by Jamie Beck

Female friend. Preppy/classic style. Likes fancy crafts (i.e., embroidery). Vegan. ~$40

• The LL Bean tote with an in joke, catchphrase, embroidered
• Loop Canvas needlepionts
• StirCrazyCrafterUK embroidery journal kit
• Blockshop original block-printing kit
• Vintage napkins with her initial or monogram on Etsy/eBay
• Typology tinted lip oil
• Donation to animal sanctuary, like Farm Sactuary: “adopt” a goat named Jennifer or a donkey named Albert!
• Brutus Bakeshop goodies

One of my best friends who has two boys under 4, is writing a thesis on how policing was formed out of military-imperialist activities, and is a great chef and baker (vegetarian and gluten-free). She did all our friends' wedding hair and makeup (me included) and took us to the Usher residency in Vegas for her 36th birthday. Lastly, and most importantly, her family is very wealthy (and generous - they have taken me on MANY incredible once-in-a-lifetime trips). Lastly, she is a BIG SHOPPER but still hunts for a deal. If you're wondering, I have already given her a custom Katie Kimmel pet vase.

• Vintage Usher tee
• Tani Greenspan custom matchbook print 
• The Last Course by Claudia Flemming (and Melissa Clark) + her new book Delectable (with Catherine Young)
• Chava studio shirt or a gift cert 
• Alepel custom shoes or cardholder 
• Memor phone case or vase. They also sell jibbitz…er, shoe charms.
• Arcana Books gift certificate
• Hermès passport holder

Recovering cool girl that doesn't want any more vinyl, just something useless + gorge. 

• Somthings2021 vase or candlestick
• Escentric Molecules gift set
• Casa Veronica wall hook or candle holder
• Isabel Halley wine cups
• Siafu Home beaded water carafe
• Molly J. CBD gummies advent calendar
• Kiosk48th advent calendar

Everyone Else!

Brother's girlfriend who loves to read, has 2 cats, hates clutter, and many food allergies.

• Coway air purifier
• Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes 
• Craighill perch bookmark
• Cat ruff collar
• Meyou Paris cat scratching post or bed
• A donation to a local cat rescue organization

Gymnastics moms who plan trips, organize fundraisers and figure out carpool.

• A bottle of something fun and a little surprising: Pipeno red ( with Papaya Reusables paper towels?),Forthave Spirits Red Aperitivo, non-alcoholic De Soi or Non or Proxies
• Stationery / office-supply grab bags with finds from Yoseka Stationery, St. Louis Art Supply, or your local art store
• Cheerie Lane kitchen gift set

Millennial who loves gardening and just started a high powered public job in the city.

• Leath at-home growing system
• Soltech Solutions hanging grow light or bulb
• Sneeboer garden tools
• Garden clogs from Gardenheir
• Natureking flower press
• Donation to GrowNYC
• Ichendorf Milano waterlife ball

Produced by Dear Media

It’s that time of year: the unveiling of the best gift guide in the podcast multiverse (we like to think). Part 1 stars your most charming—and trickiest—partners, parents, and grandparents. Next week, tune in for part 2, and, in the meantime, dig into the ol’ present-paralysis back catalogue.

For the full episode recap—with ALL THE LINKS!—head to the A Thing or Two site.

• Get the ecomm support you need with Shopify. Get a free 14-day trial with our link.
• Shop our favorite MoMA Design Store finds—so many holiday crowd-pleasers!
• Feel your best in Honeylove and get 20% off with the code ATHINGORTWO.
• Book that doctor’s appointment already by downloading the free Zocdoc app.

Husbands and Boyfriends!

42-year-old male. Recently started dating. Lawyer. Dad. World traveler. Cyclist. Just bought a new house. Moved back to the area (Philly) from upstate new york. photographer. reader. avid home cook. knows a Parisian knot. loves a good meal out. linen shirt wearer. loafers/boat shoes with shorts kind of guy. Enjoys wine and cocktails. catholic raised. city dweller. nerdy and thoughtful.

• Linoto linen boxers
• Artemis loafers
• Stranger’s Guide Fellow Travelers Club
• Arabica coffee plant
• Photodom photography-themed Croc Jibbitz (Or really anything from Photodom—they have a cute gift guide on their site.)
• Ghiaia cashmere 
• La Salumina Amatriciana kit
• Rapha cycling backpack
• Tiptop cocktails
• Depths of Wikipedia tickets—NYC live show on 12/14 or Pittsburgh show on 12/16—or mug
• Donation to TILT Institute for the Contemporary Image’s teen photo program in Philly

Husband who thinks he's outdoorsy but hasn't been camping in decades.

• Bluefeel Kruca camping fan
• Gramicci gadget shorts or pants 
• Battenwear bouldering pants
• 1733 duffle
• An actual camping weekend for next summer for him—a lot of places book a year or 9 months in advance. Recs: Hither Hills State Park and Assateague Island.
• Getaway House gift certificate
• Wildsam National Parks or Road Trip guides
• Donation to a local preservation organization, like, say, Save the Boundary Waters in MN 
• REI outdoor skills classes

Husband who owns a ceramics company and has an eye for design.

• Courier mag subscription
• Dusen Dusen for MoMA Subu slippers
• Quark pegboard for his office or studio
• Carson Converse small-format quilts
• Glass-blowing or leather-working class
• Sight Unseen book How to Live With Objects
• Donation to People’s Pottery Project

Wives and Girlfriends!

Chronically ill wife with long-covid 2.5 years, doesn't like surprises, and in bed most days. loves sports, her friends, sitting in the park, and a great deal.

• Nocs Provisions binoculars—they did a cool collab with the Native artist Amelia Winger-Bearskin that includes a strap
• Cliq portable chairs 
• Vintage Masters golf gear, like this eighties ringer tee or this nineties hat)
• WNBA custom jersey
• Offhours home coat

Grandparents!

My 90-year-old grandma who refuses hearing aides because we don't visit enough and lives off of chipotle and chips.

• Liberty London 2-in-1 game set - ludo and backgammon
• Quilted Snakes & Ladders set
• Frontera Grill carnitas taco kit
• Fancy chip clips + chips & salsa of the month club subscription

My mostly home-bound grandma. Loves her tomato plants, vitamins, and Bob Barker.

• Flamingo Estate roma heirloom tomato candle
• Nonna’s Grocer tomato famiglia candle set
• Bordallo Pinheiro tomate apertifs plate—or lamp!
• If you have kids who she can share it with: Tomatoes for Neela by Padma Lakshmi
• 1986 Price Is Right board game
• Come on Down sweatshirt
• Chronically Chic pill organizer for her vitamins

Moms, Stepmoms, and Mothers-In-Law!

My mom is my white whale: needs nothing, no guilt in buying herself things she wants. Hates Christmas but derives joy from getting to complain about it. Good cook with a global palette (has all the gadgets she approves of and a long list of gadgets she does not endorse), news junkie, reads a lot. 61, both of my parents are retired, lives in the Pacific Northwest. Has taste but no style, hates clutter. Buys her clothes at Costco. Drinks nice wine that she also buys at Costco. Thinks art is stupid (I am an artist). She's very funny but she really leans into her brand of "antisocial curmudgeon." Successful gifts in the past were an NYtimes subscription and a fancy amaryllis bulb that she can text me about and shame it for blooming the wrong time of year. I try to veer towards consumables. She can also appreciate a handmade ceramic (functional, not decorative).

• Masienda tortilla starter kit (with Dona Rosa tortilla press) and the companion Masa cookbook 
• Diaspora Co. chai kit
• Talbott and Arding cheese club subscription
• Yun Hai dried fruit—there’s a gift set
• Omsom IYKYK shaker set
• NYT Spelling Bee hat
• Hadley & Bennett apron
• Roz Chast books, like What I Hate from A to Z, or Roz Chast wall art
• Rachael Pots functional ceramics 
• Ikebana bowl & bulb from Utility Objects (could pair with fancy Japanese floral scissors)

My mom: She always asks for electronics and then ends up not being able to figure them out - or just doesn't use them. Want to get her something meaningful she will use.

• 1Password membership
• Lomi composter
• M0de electric toothbrush
• Aarke water purifier

Stepmother-in-law who is a spiritual counselor in Colorado. Obviously vegan.

• Vegan JapanEasy by Tim Anderson, with Moromi soy sauces
• Rebel Cheese club membership 
• Yellow Leaf hammock
• Esalen Institute merch or gift cert 
• Nora McInerny books 
• Esker gift sets

Mother In Law - has more clothes than Nordstrom. Lives alone but her party line is always ringing.

• Bitossi set of 6 wineglasses
• Gohar World bottle apron
• Casa Velasquez bolero apron
• Gossamer Happy Hour hemp pre-rolls
• Conserva Culture tinned fish gift set
• Snacks for Dinner: Small Bites, Full Plates, Can't Lose by Lukas Volger 
• McNally Jackson seminar 
• Custom sweater mending from Repair Shop 
• “Come Over” hat from Big Night 
• Dress for Success donation

This one is for my five-foot-tall Italian American mother in law who has the thickest New York accent I've ever heard and could be described as "a tiny tank" in both stature and personality. she lives on Long Island and has access to everything; also tends to buy herself whatever she wants. so she's extremely hard to gift for. Whatever we give should probably be a physical gift vs. an experience. she is very judgmental and critical and not warm and fuzzy - but she has also had the difficult task of being a single parent to two kids, one of whom, my SIL, is living at home with significant physical and intellectual disabilities and who my MIL devotes all her time to - my SIL is so well taken care of. Looking for a gift that somehow recognizes/responds to all of this.

• Unspun gift kit
• Ipsa, depending on part of Long Island
• House cleaning from We Can Do It! – Si Se Puede Women's Cooperative (only operates in the five boroughs) 
• Missoni Home blanket
• Roscioli Italian wine club
• Marcella’s favorites gift set from Gustiamo

Mom and her husband just bought a boat. So something nautical or for small space living.

• Year of Knots by Windy Chien
• Malaika hand-printed beach towels
• Personalized life saver buoy (U.S. Coast Guard-approved!) 
• Salty Home tide clock
• Framed nautical flags
• Haptic Lab sailing ship kite 
• Petit Kouraj x SVNR tote fishnet seashell tote
• Issimo inflatable mini terrycloth pillow 
• Ingredients for a session dark ‘n stormy
• Donation to The Ocean Cleanup 

Mother-in-law who is the solo living grandparent to our 4-year-old and Buddhist priest who wants nothing but time with us. However, she is always a generous and thoughtful gift-giver so I can't just give her time. She is a tea lover but you can imagine how much tea I've already given her. She has a dog, loves the color periwinkle, and spends a lot of time on Zoom with her Sangha. She's forever 'writing a book' and loves getting on board with a system (for writing, for organizing, whatever). Help!

• Joyoung soy milk machine
• Daruma doll holding a dog
• Dog ball launcher
• MQuan Bell
• Rice xax candles for meditation
• Mountain Valley Seed Company seed starter kit medicinal & herbal tea
• Books to read with the grandkid: Jon J. Muth’s The Three Questions and Zen Shorts and Thich Nat Hanh’s Where is the Buddha? and A Handful of Quiet
• Lena Corwin peace towel + matching kid-size one for the grandkid
• Scrivener subscription

Dads, Step-Dads, and Fathers-in-Law!

My dad, who is a retired chef (he still has knives from 40 years ago that he painstakingly cares for and finds most home kitchens to be very pretentious), can build/fix anything, loves to read non-fiction, and was suspended from Twitter frequently for tweeting insults at Donald Trump

• The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity by David Graeber and David Wengrow
• Peeko oysters
• Sitka Salmon Share
• Cabi original trio
• Vintage RAADVAD bread slicer
• Manufacture de Digoin vinegar jar to make his own vinegar
• Milk Street Turkish közmatik
• Donation to his local food bank

Mid 60's Frenchman who lives in Alsace with his wife and they travel a lot in their RV. they are also coming to the states next spring on a cross-country RV trip so I really think it should revolve around that. but more about him- he doesn't drink or smoke (some Frenchman he is) when we would drive to Florida once a year he would always be so excited to get to put on Latin American music on the radio. last year we got him a record player and records that I am 100% sure he doesn't use. he loves scrabble and card games, and he builds these badass card holders out of wood that he then does wood-burning personalized deco on. he has everything he wants and he wears lee jeans.

• Neepa Hut food tent
• Camping chair from Cliq, Woods, or Blue Ridge Chair Works
• Penco box tote
• Papier travel journal
• National Parks pass
• Personalized leatherbound America: National Parks Atlas (from PBS shop)

Dad who enjoys perfecting logistics and explaining credit card point strategy.

• Scott’s Cheap Flights premium membership
• Timeshifter app
• Solgaard carry-on closet suitcase (there’s a MoMA collab!)
• “Clipper Club” 1950 Pan Am membership lounge rocks glass
• Bug-out bag from Judy
• Portable phone charger
• iPad keyboard + Valerie Constance monogrammed keyboard case