A Thing or Two with Claire and Erica

More all-time fave products, coming your way in today’s Thingies episode! If you want to catch up on past installments, dive right in. To kick us off, though: a word about word games.   Ladies and gentlemen, the NYT Spelling Bee.   Leon Neyfakh’s somehow-relevant Grub Street Diet.   Inkubator, crosswords by cis women, trans women, and woman-aligned constructors, and When We Cross Words to make your own crosswords.   Thingies!!! Zout, Laundress Mesh Washing Bags (related: a laundry drying rack), Kate’s Butter, Stonewall Kitchen Bloody Mary Mixer (try also: McClure’s Bloody Mary Mix), Breadblok GF bread (for glutinous bread in NYC: She Wolf Bakery Classic Batard), and Revlon ColorStay Lip Liner in Nude.   Destress with Calm and take 40% off a premium subscription with our link. Slip into Girlfriend Collective’s sustainable, ethically made activewear. $25 off your first purchase of $100 or more when you use our link. Try professional counseling with BetterHelp and get 10% off your first month with our link. Tackle migraines with Cove and take 50% off your first month of medication and get free two-day shipping with our link. YAY.   Produced by Dear Media

Why is it that talking about cereal and periods brings on waves of nostalgia? If you feel the same, well, please do share: 833-632-5463 or @athingortwohq.   The birth of cereal restaurants in the early aughts! See: Cereality. See now: Kith Treats.   Newish cereals worth knowing about: Magic Spoon and OffLimits.   The Nyssa VieVision Between Legs Mirror would have really changed things for us as teenagers.   A timely Ziwe tweet.   A menstrual cup to check out: Noble Cup.   Period underwear, especially useful for those last couple days: Thinx (plus Speax for bladder leak) and Karla Welch’s brand Period.   A fascinating read from Elle “Do You Really Need Your Period?” by Lauren Sampedro.    The Clue app and an interesting story from 2018 (also from Elle!) about its rise and the research potential of its data.   We’ve been getting such good voicemails! And yet we’re hungry for more! Get us at 833-632-5463.   Re: the awesome voicemail at the end of this episode about produce and condiment fridge swapping, a TikTok.   You know what you might be really into? Secret Menu.   Listen to How To Do the Pot for solid advice about weed for women by women. Find it wherever you get your podcasts! Access professional counseling with BetterHelp and get 10% off your first month with our link. Use the free online graphic-design platform Projector to spiff up all kinds of stuff. Try Nutrafol for thicker, healthier hair. Take $15 off your first month’s subscription with the code ATHINGORTWO. YAY.   Produced by Dear Media

Gillian Laub’s photography makes us cry. And laugh! What we’re saying is, it’s magical, and just wait until you hear about her latest project Family Matters, a book and an exhibit exploring family (hers, specifically) in a politically divided America. Something we need to address first, though: racing hot dogs (vegan ones, specifically).   Courtesy of Eater: “PETA wants the big hot dog costumes at baseball games to be vegan, but surprise! They already are.”   Let’s please examine The Famous Racing Sausages at Milwaukee Brewers games and the racing pierogies at Pittsburgh Pirates games.   We’ll take any opportunity to give a little love to Trader Joe’s Soy Chorizo.   Pick up Gillian Laub’s outrageously compelling book Family Matters! See her show at the International Center of Photography in NYC from September 24, 2021, to January 10, 2022!   For more of Gillian’s work, check out her site and IG.   More on Pop-Up Magazine, where Gillian workshopped this project.   Another relevant book that Gillian loves (um, same): Good Talk: A Memoir in Conversations by Mira Jacob. Listen also: our interview with Mira about said book.   Gillian’s photos of Cindy Adams for New York mag...and her behind-the-scenes content.   Lovin’ your voicemails, friends! Keep ‘em coming at 833-632-5463.    If you’re a fan of this show and haven’t subscribed to Secret Menu...   Give Nutrafol a try for thicker, healthier hair. Your first month’s subscription is $15 off with the code ATHINGORTWO. Tune into Dipsea’s sexy audio stories—a free 30-day trial is yours when you use our link. Download the Zocdoc app (for free!) and schedule a doctor’s appointment you’ve been putting off. Use Modern Fertility’s finger-prick test to get a handle on your fertility. It’s $20 off when you use our link. YAY.   Produced by Dear Media

Pals, it’s a friendship grab bag! We’re chatting with Katie Seaver, a deep-thinker looking for a deep friendship who placed a classified ad in our newsletter seeking one, and then we’re diving into friendship age gaps and group chat dynamics (a whole thing!).   Yes, you want to know Katie Seaver, who ran a classified ad in our newsletter that linked to a Google doc titled “Wanted: A deep + meaningful friendship in Northeast Los Angeles.” She’s also a life coach with a newsletter that touches on, yup, friendship.   Shasta Nelson’s book Frientimacy: How to Deepen Friendships for Lifelong Health and Happiness.   A shout-out to Bumble BFF.   The story of the rude TikTok and the woman who deserved (and found) new friends.   An interview with Lakshmi Rengarajan, host of the podcast Paired by the People, about asking intentional questions on romantic or friend dates.   A timeline of Kourtney Kardashian and Addison Rae’s friendship.   “I Want What They Have, Friendship Edition: Tilda Swinton and Timothée Chalamet.”   "Why Befriending People of Different Ages is Vital in an Ageist Society" from the Sunday Riley blog.   From 2001: “GroupMe and the rise of group everything.”   Ahhh, group emails. Please see the book Hey Ladies!: The Story of 8 Best Friends, 1 Year, and Way, Way Too Many Emails.   Chris Black’s 2018 GQ piece “The Group Chat Saved My Life.”   “Sending Smiley Emojis? They Now Mean Different Things to Different People” from The Wall Street Journal.   Got friendship thoughts? Other thoughts? Share them at @athingortwohq, podcast@athingortwohq.com, and 833-632-5463.    Want more? That’s where Secret Menu comes in.   Make stunning digital stuff with the free online graphic-design platform Projector. Tune into How To Do the Pot for practical advice about weed for women by women. Do your nails—and well—with Olive & June's Mani System and take 20% off with the code ATHINGORTWO. Get dreamy, chill waves with Conair’s Double Ceramic Triple Barrel Waver. YAY.   Produced by Dear Media

That’s right: today’s ep is a real grab bag, and we imagine you have thoughts? Share them! At @athingortwohq, podcast@athingortwohq.com, and 833-632-5463! If this is exactly the kind of content you’re in the market for, Secret Menu will be up your alley, too.   The full Nalata Nalata ecomm experience! The Our Story page, the Welcome to Our New Website statement, and every single one of the product descriptions.   Our favorite L.A. store in the Nalata Nalata vein: Tortoise General Store.   Shout-out to St. Louis Tag Co., world’s greatest maker of hang tags.   Two anti-fridgers: Sophia Roe and Molly McAleer. To make produce storage more complicated: The Kitchn’s Guide to Storing Fruits and Vegetables.   One hair product: Hairstory New Wash.    Two long-hair heroes: Crystal Gayle and Totally Hair Barbie.    A great NYC barber: Neighborhood Barbers.   Give BetterHelp a go for professional counseling and get 10% off your first month with our link. Use Modern Fertility’s finger-prick test to get a handle on your fertility. It’s $20 off when you use our link. Clear your head with Calm and take 40% off a premium subscription with our link. Tackle migraines with Cove. Your first month of medication is 50% off with our link. YAY.   Produced by Dear Media

In which we reveal that our ideal meal might involve grilled oysters, McDonald’s fries, and a Dairy Queen Blizzard. Hey, they’re all tastes of summer, ok?   A case for oysters from Well+Good: “The More Oysters You Eat, the Better the Oceans Get”    An oyster-heavy cookbook: Mosquito Supper Club: Cajun Recipes from a Disappearing Bayou.   Erica has low-key shucking gloves from Little Creek Oysters in Greenport on the North Fork of Long Island (a lovely place to learn to shuck if you’re in the neck of the woods).   Grilled oysters! A revelation! Hama Hama has a great guide and sells “grillers.” Eat ‘em with this NYT hot-sauce butter recipe.   We do need you to know about the copywriting happening over at Long John Silver’s.   The original Arby’s sign! And Rolando Pujol’s whole Instagram account, really.   “Letter of Recommendation: Why the Filet-O-Fish Is My Gold Standard for Fast Food”   Eater on the rise and fall of the Arch Deluxe.   The late Roger Ebert on his love of Steak 'n Shake (and David Letterman’s too).   Learn about your body with Base and take 20% off of your first month of membership with the code ATHINGORTWO. Try the free online graphic-design platform Projector (that we use most days). Listen to How To Do the Pot for practical advice about weed for women by women. Get unfussy hair with Conair’s Double Ceramic Triple Barrel Waver. YAY.   Produced by Dear Media

How do you show up for your people when they’ve grieving, dealing with loss, and/or just generally going through a really shitty time? What a genuine joy it was to talk about this with Nora McInerny, whose podcast Terrible, Thanks for Asking you obviously know (right?). And first: some JIC gifts.   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.   We really want to hear your friend-supporting thoughts. Share them at @athingortwohq, podcast@athingortwohq.com, and 833-632-5463.    So much more where this came from at Secret Menu.   Download the *free* Zocdoc app and schedule a doctor’s appointment you’ve been putting off. Try Nutrafol for thicker, healthier hair. Your first month’s subscription is $15 off with the code ATHINGORTWO. Get professional counseling with BetterHelp take 10% off your first month with our link. YAY.   Produced by Dear Media

Introducing the chair and half! And reintroducing the greatest city in the world, New York! We’ve brought our enthusiasm, friends, and we’re hoping you’ll join us.   Claire’s dream chair and a half is from Maker & Son. Erica’s dream stool coat rack is by Guillen Ferran for Casa Constante (two others worth knowin’ about from Umbra and Room & Board, too).    SinkPositive!!!   Ann Friedman’s newsletter about NYC energy.   NYC’s Thai restaurant renaissance! Nuaa Table, Fish Cheeks, Thai Diner, to name just a few.   The New York Post on “‘6 P.M. Is the New 8 P.M.’: Why Early-Bird Dining Is Here to Stay.”   The genius New York mag nightlife newsletter are u coming? by Brock Colyar.    More on the TikTok phenom Tinx.   Get excited to cook again with Made In’s professional-grade cookware—15% off your first order with the code ATHINGORTWO. Tune into How To Do the Pot for practical advice about weed for women by women. Wherever you get your podcasts! Find out where to get your COVID-19 vaccine near you at vaccines.gov. Look to American Giant’s Premium Slub Tees for T-shirts that last ‘n last and get 15% off your first order with the code ATHINGORTWO. YAY.   Produced by Dear Media

How do we wrap up vacation? How do we shop for clothes on the internet? Well!    The Atlantic also says you should come home from vacation a day early in this piece about 8 rules for a happy vacation.    Hit us with your online shopping hacks at @athingortwohq, podcast@athingortwohq.com, and 833-632-5463. And get more of ours from Secret Menu.   Find out where to get your COVID-19 vaccine near you at vaccines.gov. Learn about your body with Base and take 20% off of your first month of membership with the code ATHINGORTWO. Get good at doing your nails with Olive & June's tremendous Mani System and take 20% off with the code ATHINGORTWO. Try BetterHelp for professional counseling and get 10% off your first month with our link. YAY.   Produced by Dear Media

If you’ve ever had questions about our (19 years of!) friendship, wade on into this episode, which was sparked by the heartwarmingly genius Summer of Friendship series from Call Your Girlfriend. And if you’ve ever wondered about our thoughts on making The Idea of You book into a movie...well, that too!   More on The Idea of You’s rabid following ℅ Michelle Ruiz for Vogue.   People, watch Friends with Kids! Somehow related: It was Patrick Dempsey who was (at one point) married to the makeup artist, Jillian Fink.   Do you want access to TIOY Facebook group? Have at it.   The author Robinne Lee cites her original inspiration for Solene as Leticia Herrera, the founder of Casa Tua hotels.   Jenna Wortham’s New York Times Magazine piece about the movie Zola and recasting pressure via Twitter.   Tune into the Summer of Friendship eps of Call Your Girlfriend! Our chat about our relationship is part of that joyful series.   Send all of your thoughts and feelings to @athingortwohq, podcast@athingortwohq.com, and 833-632-5463. We’ll send you more of ours if you sign up for Secret Menu.   Try Modern Fertility’s finger-prick test to get a handle on your fertility. It’s $20 off when you use our link. Heat things up with Made In’s professional-grade cookware—15% off your first order with the code ATHINGORTWO. Turn to BetterHelp for professional counseling and get 10% off your first month with our link. Find out where to get your COVID-19 vaccine near you at vaccines.gov. YAY.   Produced by Dear Media