A Thing or Two with Claire and Erica

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, podcast@athingortwohq.com, 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. YAY.

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, podcast@athingortwohq.com, or @athingortwohq—or get into it in our Geneva.  YAY.

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, podcast@athingortwohq.com, @athingortwohq, or our Geneva.  YAY.

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, podcast@athingortwohq.com, @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. YAY.

In this podcast, the hosts debate fan names like 'thingamabobs' and 'loony twonies'. They introduce Emily Sunberg, a trend expert with a popular business newsletter. Topics include homemade hot sauce, pickles, luxurious showers, and neighborhood adventures. They also discuss artisanal chocolate, fragrance marketing, and gentle skincare products.

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, podcast@athingortwohq.com, @athingortwohq, or our Geneva.  Get your chocolate fix with Charles Chocolates—15% off your first purchase with the code ATHING15. YAY.

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, podcast@athingortwohq.com, @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. YAY.

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, podcast@athingortwohq.com, 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. YAY.

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, podcast@athingortwohq.com, 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, podcast@athingortwohq.com, or @athingortwohq—and chat it up about anything at all in our Geneva!