The two of us are calling our reps, donating money, consuming so much news, researching our primary candidates...and also rethinking where we spend our money and the businesses that warrant our support. We have SO MANY THOUGHTS. Also: We’re giving a free ad spot a week to a Black-owned business. If you’re interested, drop us a line at podcast@claireanderica.com!   The linkage:   The Who? Weekly episode intro that really spoke to us.   Check out the 15 Percent Pledge, which the Brother Vellies designer Aurora James started to urge major retailers to pledge 15% of their shelf space to Black-owned businesses. But it applies to consumers, too!   Some places to find more Black-owned businesses to support: Instagram highlights (1, 2, and 3) from Erica, a spreadsheet compiled by Lingua Franca, restaurant spreadsheets via Helen Rosner’s IG, Julee Wilson’s list of 125 beauty brands, Black-Owned Brooklyn, Shoppe Black, banks (and many other businesses!) from Amira Rasool’s IG.   The Harvard Business School 2014 working paper "The State of Small Business Lending" that we cite a bunch.   For some abysmal venture-funding stats, read the Techcrunch article "US VC Investment in Female Founders Hits All-Time High" and this Forbes piece that breaks down dollars for Black and Latinx women.   This Onion headline (and whole story) about private equity!!!   We’re all about shifting online book purchases to Bookshop.org.   Get in touch! On Instagram at @athingortwohq or via phone at 833-632-5463.   Head to BiblioLifestyle for A+ book recs, and subscribe today to get their summer reading guide. Check out the stunning pottery from Lolly Lolly Ceramics, and get on the email list to be first to hear about restocks. YAY.   Produced by Dear Media

Have you all read Uncanny Valley? Because this episode is a long way of saying, “Wow, you really should.” We are bubbling over with thoughts about Silicon Valley, gender and tech, and Anna Wiener’s all-around exceptional writing. Oh, and we also have something to say about going to the doctor during these times, as people who’ve had to go on multiple occasions.   The linkage:   You got a dreamy VM you want to leave? 833-632-5463—come on.   Two companies doing a good job thinking about medical solutions during this time: Capsule Pharmacy and Thirty Madison, with its online urgent care.   A case for taking babes to the doctor: this NYT story about vaccine rates dropping among kids.   Breaking news alert: Erica is now the proud owner of the jumbo tin of Luxardo cherries (and is stocked-up on her favorite GF pasta, too). Put your Luxardos in a Tom Collins!   Read o’ the week: Uncanny Valley by Anna Wiener. If you want a taste, it was excerpted in The New Yorker (and also started as an n+1 essay).   Here’s the “Measles for the One Percent” article from New York mag that Claire references.    Glossary of the references in the book if you wanna check your answers.   Such good writing about premiocre by Amanda Mull and Venkatesh Rao!   Whip up some Sun Basket. Get $35 off your order with the code ATHINGORTWO. Treat your hair to Nutrafol—20% off with the code ATHINGORTWO. YAY.   Produced by Dear Media

You know who wrote the book on socks (and started one of the best Tumblrs and bakes internet-famous cookies)? John Jannuzzi, and he’s here to share his creative side-hustle tips (but not any of the burnt malted milk and Kit-Kat cookies—he’s keeping those for himself). Before we dive in, though, can we discuss long-distance collaboration between two people who live four blocks apart? Yes, we’re talking about us.   Visit www.DailyHarvest.com and use code ATHINGORTWO for $25 off your first Box! Also, visit www.nyssacare.com and use code ATHINGORTWO for 15% off your order!   The linkage:   We’ve picked up some good work habits from the book Making Ideas Happen.   Breaking snack news: The Daily Crave smoked gouda lentil chips might be a wise bulk purchase (as they have been for Claire), and the makers of Pretzel Perfection are donating party mix to school districts and food banks.   How to Wear Socks! It’s John Jannuzzi’s new book. Feels very appropriate for dads ‘n grads, no?   Classic white Bombas! John’s favorite socks.   Bring on the crazy glasses, fun socks, and nutty shoes: Per The Strategist, Strawberry Crocs are having moment.   John’s other creative undertakings: 1) his v. popular early-days Tumblr Textbook 2) his dance compilations 3) Jannuzzi’s Cookies, batches of which go on sale every Sunday at 8 p.m. ET (set a reminder!).   Oh, also: John is very active on both Twitter and Instagram.   Two people John looks to for creativity guidance: Amanda Mull (who is a staff writer at The Atlantic) and Mary H.K. Choi (the author of Permanent Record and Emergency Contact and host of the minipod Hey, Cool Life!).   You know we love our voicemails. 833-632-5463!   For anything else you might be looking for related to all of this, head over to claireanderica.com.   Stock your fridge with Daily Harvest—$25 off your first box with the code ATHINGORTWO. YAY.   Produced by Dear Media

We’re getting saucy—even more so than usual?—and dipping into the spreads, schmears, and drizzles we’re treating as essential supplements to our souls as well as our fridge-clearing batches of fried rice. Also! We’re coming at you with a bunch o’ thoughts on how to practice ~friendship~ right now, whether you prefer a postcard or a week-long game.   The linkage:   Condiment for us (and for you): Chinkiang vinegar, seasoned rice vinegar, mirin, Fly by Jing sichuan chili crisp, Marmite, hoisin, Seedible sesame butter, Thai Kitchen curry paste, Iasa hot pepper in olive oil, Tutto Calabria Rose Marina, Mike’s or Red Clay hot honey, Holy Schmitt’s horseradish and horseradish mustard, and (drumroll) Luxardo cherries, which are available in this large-format option.    A couple recipe mentions: sauteed greens with onions and soy sauce and tofu and green beans with chile crisp.    Breaking news alert: grapefruit updates!! We learned about a grapefruit-eating tactic from a YouTube vid (by way of the wonderful Deez Links newsletter), and we both ate up Connie Wang’s article for R29 “Love in the Shape of Cut Fruit.”   Friend activities: texting (or Netflix Party chatting) over a movie, a game of Mafia (magazine covers via Canva quite optional), PowerPoint parties, sending postcards (extra credit if it’s by letter of the alphabet!) or using TouchNote to do so, the Marco Polo app, stoop drop-offs, New Yorker crosswords in partner mode, being a Mystery Reader for a kid, or, for the bold, singing theme songs—or any songs, really—via voice memo.   Voicemails! You wanna leave one? Great: 833-632-5463.   Take our survey, get coupon codes, etc., etc. at claireanderica.com.   Cook up Sun Basket goodness. $35 off your order with the code ATHINGORTWO. YAY.   Produced by Dear Media

What does it say about us that we’re taking a great deal of pleasure in having a mug of something warm as a near-constant companion? You be the judge! Also for your consideration: a nail-painting tool, a line of chic retro dinnerware, a milk-frother, and an oddly satisfying timer to help get at least a couple to-dos checked off.   The linkage:   Oh, hey: Take our survey!   We’ve been getting such good VMs, including the one at the end of this ep. If you want to join the fun: 833-632-5463.   Souvenir mugs we have or aspire to have: Russ & Daughters (they’ve discontinued the original), Hart’s, Cafe Du Monde, and Veselka. Also, vintage art museum mugs! And why not just make some on Zazzle and Shutterfly for friends when the mood strikes? A good way to memorialize photos, good or embarrassing.   Makers of the pretty ceramic mugs we want to have and to hold: Molly Anne Bishop, BTW Ceramics, Hasami Porcelain (There are two separate lines: one from Takuhiro Shinomoto, the founder of Tortoise General Store, and the other from Kyohei Baba), Chloe May Brown, Risa Nishimori, Knotwork, and Helen Levi.    Bitty espresso cups! Splatterware enamel ones from GSI Outdoors and non-splatter enamel ones from Falcon specifically.   Buy into the buzz of the Olive & June Poppy for home nail-painting. This whole Starter Set excellent—love the EC polish, and the topcoat is as good as promised.   Some more background on Heller Dinnerware by Massimo Vignelli. DWR sells the white version, and there’s tons of vintage on Etsy.   For more on the Pomodoro Technique, here you go. Give Marinaratimer.com a try, or snag a cute tomato timer.   Oh, you thought we were done with mug-related content? NOPE. We have a very good milk frother rec for you.   And visit www.Nutrafol.com with Promo Code: ATHINGORTWO for 20% off your order!    Produced by Dear Media

This week in “it’s the small things” content, we’re sharing the Instagram accounts bringing us joy, the T-shirts we have possibly (definitely) too many thoughts about, and the campaign we’re launching to book our dream pod guest. Let’s make #qaiqaispromise happen, people!   The linkage:   Join the #qaiqaispromise movement. We’re counting on you (and, of course, Qai Qai).   If you aren’t following these IGs, you’re in for a bunch of treats: @grossypelosi, @thetinychefshow, @laurentamaki, @lilystockman, @thelesliejordan, @dritadavanzoladyboss, and @theonion.   T-shirts! Sunspel, Skin, Re/done, AMO, Calder Blake, The Great, and Petit Bateau all make ones we wear ‘n swear by. Claire is also very interested in trying this Bandier tank, fwiw.   Get cookin’ with Sun Basket—$35 off your order with the code ATHINGORTWO.   And make the world a better place with Causebox— 30% off your order plus Free Shipping!   YAY.   Produced by Dear Media

Apparently, we have a lot of pent-up thoughts about Instagram in need of an outlet, namely this episode of this podcast. Dive in for how we think about consuming and posting (in this time and in less insane ones), the features we want from the app, and, importantly, our differing takes on liking and commenting on celebs’ accounts.   Visit DailyHarvest.com and enter promo code: ATHINGORTWO for $25 off your first box!   The linkage:   If you haven’t caught our IGTV stuffs, vids are over at @clairemazur and @ericacerulo. Only some of them are about the romance novel The Idea of You! (HAVE YOU READ IT?)   Speaking of Instagram, you gotta give our Phil Chang ep a listen. Oh, and our Taylor Lorenz ep, too.   The Julia Turshen cookbook Claire mentions, Feed the Resistance.   Two accounts that hit the IG tropes hard and are still very strong follows: Erin Foster and Nell Diamond.   Nab $25 off your first Daily Harvest box with the code ATHINGORTWO. YAY.   Produced by Dear Media

Things we’re rejecting (some days): three square meals. Things we’re embracing: square-toe shoes...and also special treats in pretty much any form. Including a long-distance update from our one-time pod producer Alex, the Roz to our Frasier.   Visit www.causebox.com/athingortwo with code: ATHINGORTWO for 30% off your order!   The linkage:   833-632-5463 for voicemails—we love ‘em.   Are you listening to Who? Weekly? And their extra-special Patreon content? Get on that.   Our dinnertime playlists right now: Sam Cooke Radio + Legendary Women of Country.   Celery! Erica’s in. Claire’s not. Maybe try this salad with dates and parm, this one with apples and gorgonzola, or the braised recipe from Salad for President and decide for yourself?   The ol’ kale-stem shock and awe.   PSA: We now have an Amazon Storefront and a Bookshop.org page if you’re looking to dig up some of our recs.   Relevant to square-toe shoes: The Witches the book and also the movie, the slingbacks that Aeyde is serving up, and a lot of what Intentionally Blank has on offer.    Alex enthusiastically endorses Summer House. Maybe watch while drinking an espresso martini?   If you have questions, thoughts, or musings can always get us at podcast@claireanderica.com.   Produced by Dear Media

Geez, does Marisa Meltzer know how to get the wheels turning. We talk to her about her shiny new book This Is Big, which digs deep into dieting, wellness, feminism, body positivity, and the intersection of those topics—and also about friendship and snacks. Much to discuss, you see. But first! A truly odd (if entertaining) NYC campaign we didn’t want you to miss.   The linkage:   If you somehow want more on the Billy Never Idles campaign, well, here you go.   Read Marisa’s book, This Is Big: How the Founder of Weight Watchers Changed the World (and Me)! Do it!   Jean Nidetch’s NYT obit from 2015—and the whole Overlooked No More obit project.   A wonderful article Marisa wrote a while back for Elle about diets + feminism.   We enthusiastically endorse Katie Sturino’s Boob Sweat podcast. Marisa shouts-out this interview with CeCe Olisa in particular.   Let’s talk about SNACKS real quick: Graham crackers (with cream cheese, covered in chocolate, or as part of an #indoorsmore situation), The Daily Crave smoked gouda lentil chips, and Tapatio Doritos.   Produced by Dear Media

Here we are again, talking about stuff no one else is talking about (and we hope that’s a good thing?). Today, we’re digging into a surprisingly handy word and plenty o’ business insights from the bonafide retail legend Mickey Drexler, who’s lived through plenty of ups and downs.   The linkage:   Introducing a weirdly useful term: webonair.   Have you listened to the podcast Bad on Paper? ‘Cause ya should.   If you didn’t catch our first chat with Mickey Drexler, you can do that right over here.   Alex Mill is Mickey’s latest undertaking with his son...and we have been talking about too much on this podcast, we’re aware.   Here’s the Agnès B. cardigan Erica was wearing that you couldn’t see through your headphones. It got a nice send-up from The Cut recently, too.   Reminder that you can sign up for our newsletter, get coupon codes, etc., etc. on claireanderica.com.    Produced by Dear Media