A Thing or Two with Claire and Erica

How many questions do we have for Lola Priego, the founder of the innovative at-home lab-testing company Base? So many that we partnered with the company to bring you all this ep and to get a better understanding of how the medical sector is evolving, the common findings the Base team is seeing in tests, and what factors that might be contributing to bleh energy, sex drive, and sleep—you know, those weirdly hard-to-solve health gripes. Also, re: ZZZs: Let’s kick things off with a talk about pajama habits, shall we??   A Base membership starts at $59.95 per month, and right now, you can get 20% off of your first month of membership with the code ATHINGORTWO.   This Base quiz could prove very useful, whether you opt to join or not.   Call us! Add 833-632-5463 to your contacts, even?   Get more intel about your body with Base and take 20% off of your first month of membership with the code ATHINGORTWO. YAY.   Produced by Dear Media

One thing we’re newly obsessed with: the wide, weird world of FamousBirthdays.com. Nine finds we’re oldly obsessed with and very ready to discuss: Welcome to the latest installment of Thingies, our unstoppable, un-top-able category faves.   Do you know FamousBirthdays.com? Do you know Courier magazine?! Well, there’s a great story about the former in the latter.   Today’s Thingies!!! New Skin Liquid Bandage, Chef’s Choice Diamond Hone Knife Sharpener, Temp Tee Whipped Cream Cheese, D.S. & Durga Auto Fragrances (sold as a set too—and, related, ones from P. F. Candle Co.), Norma Kamali Super Low Back Mio, Hollywood Fashion Secrets Silicone Coverups, Nailtiques Formula 2, Jade Yoga Harmony Mat, and (bonus?) Bug Bite Thing (plus, somehow related, Oh Crap! Potty Training).      Previous Thingies eps one and two should you want to catch up.   KIT at @athingortwohq, podcast@athingortwohq.com, and 833-632-5463, and sign up for Secret Menu if you want more, more, more.   Try Olive & June's tremendous Mani System and take 20% off with the code ATHINGORTWO. Download the Zocdoc app (for free) and schedule a doctor’s appointment—it’s time. Give Nutrafol a shot for thicker, healthier hair. Your first month’s subscription is $15 off with the code ATHINGORTWO. Pack American Giant’s Classic Full Zip Hoodie for any of your summer travel—15% off your first order with the code ATHINGORTWO. YAY.

Are you ready to be charmed? Great, because today we’re discussing baby hummingbirds and hanging with Lauren Chan, who’s a size-inclusive fashion advocate, a model, and the founder-slash-CEO of Henning, which makes luxury, oh-so-cool womenswear in sizes 12 to 24. Soon, she’ll be a TikTok star, too—we have no doubt.   Related to Erica’s How to Do Nothing-esque baby hummingbird *experience*: this glorious Jamie Beck ridiculousness, the Minnesota State Fair’s CHS Miracle of Birth Center, this Travel + Leisure story “The World's Best Places to See Baby Animals,” David Schwimmer on Marcel the monkey, and a taste of hummingbird TikTok.   Shop Lauren Chan’s line Henning! Follow her on Instagram!   Other fashion companies that Lauren admires: Wray, Tamara Malas, Eileen Fisher, and Mara Hoffman.   What’s Lauren wearing? So glad you asked. For jeans and jorts, Citizens of Humanity (in size 33) and Agolde (in size 33 or 34). Speaking of shorts: Henning bike shorts, Aerie sweat shorts, and WSLY nylon shorts from Bandier. Up top: nostalgic T-shirts from Poshmark and flowy button-downs from Poshmark and her love, The RealReal.    Her home go-tos (see also: this Domino feature styled by Elaina Sullivan): Chairish, Saatchi Art, and Craigslist.   Get to the bottom of persistent health issues with Base—save 20% off of your first month of membership with the code ATHINGORTWO. Take 20% off Olive & June's game-changing Mani System with the code ATHINGORTWO. Find out where to get your COVID-19 vaccine near you at vaccines.gov. Try out Made In’s professional-grade cookware for 15% off your first order with the code ATHINGORTWO. YAY.   Produced by Dear Media

To anyone who’s asked “Um, can y’all dig deeper into CBD?” and/or “Does that stuff actually work?” we bring you an episode full of (extremely interesting!) nitty-grittiness on cannabinoids. We’ve partnered with the impressive team over at Caliper for this conversation with our old pal Jeremy Goldstein to talk science, credibility, regulation, and, yes, hype. If this has you itching to try Caliper, use the code ATHINGORTWO for 20% off your first order.   More on drug-sniffing K-9 retirees.   Deeper-dives into how Caliper approaches regulation and clinical trials.    If you’re interested in the microdose THC company Jeremy and his co-founder Justin Singer started first, check out the line of Ripple products.   20% off your first Caliper order with the code ATHINGORTWO!    You know we love a voicemail, right? And you know you can get us at 833-632-5463, right?   Produced by Dear Media

What would we register for if we were getting married sometime soon? What would we buy if we just really wanted a tablecloth or new drinking glasses? Oh, we have thoughts. And, speaking of wish lists, how exactly do we get our hands on Flea’s Bees honey from the Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist?   For more on Flea (because who doesn’t want more on Flea?): Dave Grohl’s doc What Drives Us, this GQ article about his relationship with the streetwear designer Melody Ehsani, his memoir Acid for the Children, a video of him playing guitar with Koko, a really moving essay for TIME about his opioid addiction, the org he started Silverlake Conservatory of Music, and, finally, Flea’s Bees. Also, of course, his Instagram and Twitter.   Picks for wedding registries—and just, like, living our best dining lives—coming right up! For the master, master list, sign up for Secret Menu and dive on in.   Flatware: Almoco Flatware, Mono Ring Cutlery, Sabre Bistrot Flatware, and Georg Jensen New York.   Dishes: Heath Ceramics, Dansk, Jono Pandolfi, and Pomelo Casa.   Cloth napkins, tablecloths, and placemats: Society of Wanderers, Lewis, Thompson Street Studio, and Ames for Goodee.   Wine glasses: Fferrone and Estelle Colored Glass.   Drinking glasses: Borosil Simple Glass Tumblers, Bormioli Rocco Stackable Bodega Glasses, and Duralex Picardie Glasses in clear or color or with the carafe.   Cutting and serving boards: Farmhouse Pottery Dipped Clay Plate, Fort Standard Walnut Plank, and Le Regal French Oak Serving Boards.   You know we want to hear from you. Get us at @athingortwohq, podcast@athingortwohq.com, and 833-632-5463.    For our baby registry ep, head here.    Secret Menu members can get access to the wedding-registry deep-dive over here.   Try BetterHelp for professional counseling and get 10% off your first month with our link. Listen to Dipsea’s sexy audio stories—a free 30-day trial is yours when you use our link. Get a quote for term life insurance from Haven Life. YAY.   Produced by Dear Media

Longtime hero and first-time guest Atoosa Rubenstein is our plus-one today, and, whoa, is she delivering SO MUCH wisdom—you know, exactly the sort of stuff she was known for as the editor of CosmoGIRL! And Seventeen, but now built for adults. (Related: You’ve gotta sign up for her newsletter Atoosa Unedited.) Before we get into it, though, we need to talk about a term that’s as useful as it is aspirational: public affluence.   Public affluence further reading: “Every Child on Their Own Trampoline” by Jeremy Williams and the 1958 book The Affluent Society by John Kenneth Galbraith.   More on the Buy Nothing Project. See also: this post and this one from Reading My Tea Leaves.    Sign up for Atoosa Unedited, Atoosa Rubenstein’s newsletter—you want in on this!—and read the breakup installment we reference. Oh, follow the Atoosa Unedited Instagram, too.   Tiny, baby Erica interviewing Atoosa in 2004 for Roadtrip Nation.   Some Atoosa go-tos: It Didn’t Start With You by Mark Wolynn, Goop, Armchair Expert, SmartLess, Tara Brach, and Page Six.   Direct your feedback to @athingortwohq, podcast@athingortwohq.com, and 833-632-5463.    Um, are you signed up for Secret Menu?!   Download the (free!) Zocdoc app and schedule the doctor’s appointment you’ve been putting off. Get a handle on your fertility with Modern Fertility’s finger-prick test. It’s $20 off when you use our link. Try Nutrafol for thicker, healthier hair. Your first month’s subscription is 20% off with the code ATHINGORTWO. YAY.   Produced by Dear Media

It’s testing central ‘round these parts. First, we dig into snacks (and fall hard for a fancy GF pop-tart comp), and then Claire shares the beauty products that have won her over recently. Obviously both sunless tanner and deep conditioner make a showing.   What are we munching? Well! Wild Fruits Jam Tarts, 12tides Puffed Kelp Chips, and Pipcorn Jalapeño Cheddar Crunchies, since you asked.   Claire’s latest hair favorites: Bread Beauty Supply Hair Mask Deep Conditioner, Hairstory New Wash, Christophe Robin Brightening Shampoo, and Briogeo Scalp Revival Stimulating Massager.   Her new go-to skin stuff: Muri Lelu Mauvaise Herbe Indica Oil, Sunday Riley Good Genes, Consonant Hydrextreme Sheet Mask, St. Tropez Self Tan Purity Bronzing Water Face Mist, Tata Harper Creme Riche Moisturizer, and Diana Ralys Melt Away Oil Cleanser.   And two make-up things that made the cut: Artis Brush (Oval 6) and KVD Beauty Tattoo Liner.   Send your thoughts on any ‘n all of this to @athingortwohq, podcast@athingortwohq.com, and 833-632-5463. For a whole lot more where this came from, check out Secret Menu.   Get away with Dipsea’s sexy audio stories—a free 30-day trial is yours when you use our link. Scope out the online life insurance agency Haven Life and get a quote. Achieve supreme comfiness with American Giant’s Classic Full Zip Hoodie and take 15% off your first order with the code ATHINGORTWO. YAY.   Produced by Dear Media

Feel that cross-breeze? Hard for us to tell if it’s fresh air or creative energy, to be honest. But much more on both ahead...   The opening the windows tweet that really spoke to us both.   The fan Claire recently, aspirationally acquired: this Zonix one in white.   You know Secret Menu? Because you should.   For some context around our creativity check-in, dive into our perfectionism ep (and maybe Big Magic?).   This NYT piece on future block!   Mary H.K. Choi inspired Erica’s writing approach, and Gina Hamadey and her new book I Want to Thank You helped shape Claire’s sketching routine.   Keep the feedback coming! @athingortwohq, podcast@athingortwohq.com, and 833-632-5463.   Better understand your fertility with Modern Fertility’s finger-prick test—it’s $20 off when you use our link. Get a quote from Haven Life, the online life insurance agency that’s all about ease. Look to BetterHelp for professional counseling and snag 10% off your first month when you use our link. YAY.   Produced by Dear Media

If you’ve been thinking more about your meat and/or alcohol consumption—or would like to—pull up a chair and dig in. And, as always, feel free to drop us voicemail at 833-632-5463. Hungry for your thoughts.   Our less-meat news items: Epicurious on not publishing any (new) recipes with beef, Eleven Madison Park’s return with a vegan menu, and Taco Bell’s Cravetarian Taco.    One interesting beef source: Butter Meat Co.   Us-approved meat alts, should you want ‘em: Impossible (burgers with Omsom marinades, Helen Rosner’s Roberto soup, hard-shell tacos with Spicewalla seasonings), Trader Joe’s soy chorizo (for tacos, eggs, pastas with chickpeas!), and Lightlife Smart Deli Bologna for sandwiches.   The MSG essay by Shaad D'Souza (from Bon Appétit, not Eater—oops). Related: @know_msg, Red Boat salt, and Momofuku tamari.   The book name-checked by Chrissy Teigen about women + sobriety: Quit Like a Woman: The Radical Choice to Not Drink in a Culture Obsessed with Alcohol by Holly Whitaker, founder of the recovery program Tempest.   A great installment of the Quartz Obsessions newsletter about sober-curiosity.   Your feedback: more than welcome. Get us at @athingortwohq, podcast@athingortwohq.com, and 833-632-5463.   Secret’s out on how great our Secret Menu membership is.   Give Nutrafol a go for thicker, healthier hair. 20% off your first month’s subscription with the code ATHINGORTWO. YAY.   Produced by Dear Media

Just a podcast ep featuring two old pals: Miffy, chic cartoon rabbit, and Amanda Hesser, icon, inspiration, and co-founder of Food52, the site you’ve (we’ve) visited just a few thousand times.   First, some Miffy merch: this light that Erica and Cam own, these napkins, this corduroy stuffed animal, and this Converse collab.    A 2008 Daily Telegraph profile of Dick Bruna, the creator of Miffy.   The rumored Taylor Swift and Katy Perry collaboration.   Our Amanda Hesser fandom runs deep! We love all things Food52, of course, but we’ve been A.H. diehards since we read Cooking for Mr. Latte in the early aughts.   A few Amanda kitchen recs: Bien Cuit sourdough starter, Ortwo pepper grinder, and JK Adams two-tiered lazy susan.   The go-to recipe when Amanda’s kids are cooking: Zuni's Pasta with Preserved Tuna.   For deep-diving on Amanda and her co-founder Merrill Stubbs, check out our book Work Wife, and for more on Amanda’s backstory and business approach, check out this recent ep of How I Built This.   We love to hear from you, always. You can get us at @athingortwohq, podcast@athingortwohq.com, and 833-632-5463.   For more insidery-ness from us, check out Secret Menu.   Download the (free!) Zocdoc app and book that doctor’s appointment—now’s the time. Escape with Dipsea’s hot ‘n heavy audio stories—you get a free 30-day trial when you use our link. Try out professional counseling with BetterHelp and snag 10% off your first month when you use our link. YAY.   Produced by Dear Media