A Thing or Two with Claire and Erica

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, podcast@athingortwohq.com, 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. Get professional counseling with BetterHelp and take 10% off your first month with our link. Slip into SKIMS Fits Everybody and get free shipping on orders over $75. Give Bad on Paper a listen—if you like this podcast, you’ll like that one. YAY. Produced by Dear Media

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, podcast@athingortwohq.com, or @athingortwohq—or join our Geneva! For more recommendations, try out a Secret Menu membership.   Support your hair with Nutrafol. Take $15 off your first month’s subscription with the code ATHINGORTWO. 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/40V3Ltw  YAY. Produced by Dear Media

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, podcast@athingortwohq.com, 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. YAY. Produced by Dear Media

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, podcast@athingortwohq.com, 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. YAY. Produced by Dear Media  

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, podcast@athingortwohq.com, 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. YAY.    Produced by Dear Media  

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, podcast@athingortwohq.com, 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.   YAY. Produced by Dear Media

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, podcast@athingortwohq.com, 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. YAY. Produced by Dear Media