A Thing or Two with Claire and Erica

Finally, it’s time to talk about our current favorite Rs: rats, rain clogs, and romance!  Our rain-clog conversation has reached new heights! As in: We have a Calzuro review for you.  Holiday shopping season is starting early because the Staten Island Pizza Rat hats are back in stock.  Now onto romance! For an IRL one, try Julia Allison and Noah Feldman. Fictional romances we love include You, Again by Kate Goldbeck (bonus read: this Vulture story about fanfics-turned-bestsellers by Elizabeth Held), The Art of Scandal by Regina Black, Tessa Bailey’s books including It Happened One Summer, Hook, Line, and Sinker, Fix Her Up, and Chase Me, and Before I Let Go by Kennedy Ryan. Re: sports romances, see Icebreaker by Hannah Grace, The Deal by Elle Kennedy, Kennedy Ryan in general, and this GQ interview with Phillies player Bryce Harper. Also! Let’s talk about Danielle Steel’s desk—Samantha Leach did a good profile of the icon for Glamour—and Rachel Antonoff’s fall fashion campaign (completely unrelated but we love her email roundups to her vet).   Share the romances you’re into with us at 833-632-5463, podcast@athingortwohq.com, @athingortwohq, or our Geneva! Try professional counseling from BetterHelp and take 10% off your first month with our link. Take care of your hair with Nutrafol. Take $15 off your first month’s subscription with the code ATHINGORTWO. Learn from the best with MasterClass and get an additional 15% off an annual membership with our link. YAY.

Question for you all: Is tattoo season a thing? Follow up: Are tattoos cooler now than they used to be? Please think about your answers while listening to country artists we’re loving right now (and Post Malone while you’re at it).   On country music having a moment: Vulture and Rolling Stone.   Here are some artists (and their songs!) to dig into: Luke Combs (“When It Rains It Pours” and his cover of “Fast Car”), Zach Bryan ("I Remember Everything" featuring Kacey Musgraves, “Something in the Orange,” and his All My Homies Hate Ticketmaster live album), Kane Brown (“Nothing Compares to You” with Mickey Guyton), Midland (“Cheatin’ Songs” and “Burn Out”), Maren Morris (“The Bones,” “My Church,” and “Rich—and this Diary of a Song on her pop hit “The Middle” and everything The Highwomen), Kelsea Ballerini (“If You Go Down (I’m Goin’ Down Too),” “Hole in the Bottle,” and a special shoutout to her CMT Awards performance), Mickey Guyton (“All American” and “Black Like Me”—she was a judge on the Apple TV show My Kind of Country, too) Lainey Wilson (“Things a Man Oughta Know,” “Heart Like a Truck” and “Straight Up Sideways”), Hailey Whitters (“Everything She Ain’t” and “I’m In Love”), and Brooke Eden (“Sunroof”—video with her then-gf, now wife!). For further women-in-country reading, we re-recommend Her Country by Marissa R. Ross.  An artist we hope doesn't disappoint us: Post Malone. Let us know what music you’re loving right now at 833-632-5463, podcast@athingortwohq.com, @athingortwohq, or our Geneva! Find more weeknight dinner recipes at Pillsbury.com.  Discover so many more natural diamond truths at naturaldiamonds.com/thankyou. Head back to school with an MBA from The Georgia Tech Scheller College of Business. Find wellness on your next stay at Westin. Listen to Bad on Paper—if you like this podcast, you’ll like that one. YAY.

We’re *nyming*! This week we’re covering the new era of nyms (acronyms): LIWMs (Laura Ingalls Wilder Museums), ABs (autograph books), LMs (labor musicals), SKSs (squeaky kids shoes), and CPAs (co-parenting apps). TTYL! Our new nyming era is inspired by one of our greatest TikTok minds, Jake Shane (see the toks here and here). We also reminisce on Erica’s chronicles of the Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum and Nancy Meyer’s Instagram post about her daughter’s autograph book, and we can’t get over the Ikiki kid’s shoe lore, specifically the stories of Gina the Giraffe, Rafiq the Rhino, and Brittany Eversweet. AND! Give us all the intel on OurFamilyWizard—we’ll start with celebs that use the app and the company’s new offices. If you’re looking to observe strike season, check out our favorite labor musicals The Pajama Game (1957) and Newsies (1992). Queue up “Carrying The Banner” and “Seize the Day”; cackle at the signs from a Newsies-themed WGA picket at Disney.  We will hear any and all of your favorite nyms at 833-632-5463, podcast@athingortwohq.com, @athingortwohq, or our Geneva! Turn to Shopify for all your ecomm needs and get a free 14-day trial with our link. Find wellness on your next stay at Westin. Cancel your unwanted subscriptions with Rocket Money—and manage your money the easy way. Get  50% off your first DoorDash order up to a $20 value when you use the code ATHINGORTWO at checkout. YAY.

A new day calls for new Thingies with Priya Rao, executive editor of The Business of Beauty at BoF and creator of the Glossy narrative skin-lightening podcast Unfair. But first: a camelid costume contest. Priya’s beauty-centric Thingies include 111 Skin Eye Lift Gel NAC Y²™, Augustinus Bader The Rich Cream, Ilia Limitless Mascara , and Half Magic’s Glitter Pill. Her non-beauty Thingies? Cadets shorts for her kiddo (Claire also loves Billie Blooms), Lovevery Play Kits, The West Wing (and, ok, Felicity, Joy Ride, and Past Lives). Bonus reccomendations: the Sherri Papini story (coming soon in doc form), Scamanda, My Husband by Maud Ventura, and The Retrievals.  Do you have new Thingies? Share them with us at 833-632-5463, podcast@athingortwohq.com, or @athingortwohq—or join our Geneva! Help out your hair with Nutrafol. Take $15 off your first month’s subscription with the code ATHINGORTWO. Find wellness on your next stay at Westin. Head back to school with an MBA from The Georgia Tech Scheller College of Business. Rocket Money YAY.

The oddness of mood boards, some back-to-school content, and one heck of a food journey, featuring international ice cream, dream potato-chip collaborations, and dip delicacies worth dealing with baggage claim. Buckle in!  Erica loves Word. notebooks, and Claire is all about the MochiThings checklist ones.   Some foods discussed: Magnum Double Starchaser, Jon and Vinny’s house salad, the 40 Aprons creamy clam dip recipe, Tenayo bean dip, Brothers Products black bean chipotle hummus, NYT's vegan onion dip recipe, and Gwyneth’s black bean recipe. This AIGA Eye on Design story by Elizabeth Goodspeed had us reconsidering the mood board.  Decoupage! Some of our favorite pieces are ones by Michelle Kim (see also: Kneeland Co.), John Derian, Joseph Heidecker, and Quintana Partners. See also: all the good stuff on Chairish. And, PSA: Mod Podge makes dishwasher-safe gloss and has incredible branding in general. Share how you do your to-do lists with us at 833-632-5463, podcast@athingortwohq.com, or @athingortwohq—or join our Geneva! 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 professional counseling from BetterHelp and take 10% off your first month with our link. Discover so many more natural diamond truths at naturaldiamonds.com/thankyou. Find wellness on your next stay at Westin. Embrace BTS season with an MBA from The Georgia Tech Scheller College of Business. Start hiring now with a $75 sponsored-job credit to upgrade your job post at Indeed. YAY. Produced by Dear Media

Coming at you today, a 2022 favorite starring two topics we’re still struggling with: So you picked a travel destination…and then what? We’re sharing the (only somewhat insane!) steps we take and the resources we love for planning a vacation. Also: Let’s spend a moment discussing the late nineties/early aughts trends that are re-catching our eyes and the ones we think we won’t wear again.  Some reflections on the Miu Miu skirt ℅ this NYT article “Brief Encounters With a Micro Miniskirt.”  When thinking about trip-planning, this Harvard Busiess Review article on "The Hidden Traps in Decision Making" and this installment of Val Monroe’s newsletter came to mind. We love scoping out hotels on Welcome Beyond, Tablet Hotels, iescape, and Mr. & Mrs. Smith (hot tip, their write-ups of what to do nearby will also point you toward good sites, shops, and restaurants). We also check out the press section on a hotel’s website, see if they’ve won any awards (which led Erica to amazingplaces.cz for Czech Republic recs), and use TripAdvisor and Instagram location tags to see some realistic photos of each hotel. For rentals, we search Airbnb and Vrbo reviews for terms like “noisy,” dig into host profiles for other properties, and remind ourselves that you can reach out to hosts with Qs. Our favorite guides come from Goop, Curbed (like "The 21 Best Things to Do in Milan If You Love Design") Eater, Sight Unseen, Remodelista, Afar, Here, Fathom, Stranger’s Guide, and New York mag’s “Steal My Vacation", and Cabana. The physical Wallpaper* City Guides are great, and 1,000 Places to See Before You Die by Patricia Shultz is a satisfying book to have + mark up.   Are you embracing the Y2K revival (slash Olivia Rodrigo’s Guts looks)? Share with us at 833-632-5463, podcast@athingortwohq.com, or @athingortwohq—or join our Geneva! 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. Find more weeknight dinner recipes at Pillsbury.com.  Find wellness on your next stay at Westin. YAY. Produced by Dear Media

Make sure to double-knot your shoes because we’re running through a bunch of activewear brands, morning baths, kale phones, butter money, and COTC (corn on the cob, clearly). You can read more about Vuori’s lore in Courier (and try out their Pose fitted polo, Daydream drew, and All the Feels bra for yourself). Other workout wear of interest: Splits59 (specifically their Raquel flared leggings), Wilson (how ‘bout these Wynne pleated pants and the pleated court short?), Tracksmith ( their Article One running sunglasses collab!), District Vision, Satisfy, On, Tory Sport, and Sweaty Betty. Curious about cool sports stores? We’ve heard good things about Distance in Paris, we love FrontRunners in L.A., and we have to hand it to Pete Carlson Golf and Tennis in Palm Desert for going *deep*.  The everything shower! Consider this reel from The Everygirl your primer.  If you’re looking to limit your oblivion time, check out the OneSec app…or consider the cocaine/kale phone, via George Mack by way of Trung Phan. Also, the to-google notepad, ℅ Courtney Martin.  Butter sculpture season, our Bama Rush? A great read: "The Secret Feminist History of Butter Cows” by Lyz Lenz. What activewear brands do you like, how do you morning bath if you do such a thing?! Share with us at 833-632-5463, podcast@athingortwohq.com, or @athingortwohq—or join our Geneva! 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. Paint your nails like a pro with Olive & June and use the code ATHINGORTWO for 20% off your first Mani System. Trust Shopify for all your ecomm needs and get a free 14-day trial with our link. Give your hair an assist with Nutrafol. Take $15 off your first month’s subscription with the code ATHINGORTWO. Find wellness on your next stay at Westin. Head back to school with an MBA from The Georgia Tech Scheller College of Business. YAY. Produced by Dear Media

Get in, bitch, we’re going…to talk all about cars, with a sprinkling of Thingies that are regrettably worth it.  Some regrettably worth it submissions from IG (and our brains) include Skims (related from The Cut), sleep consultants for toddlers, law school, putting your phone in another room after 8 p.m., professional framing, going to Ikea, getting your shoes repaired at Leather Spa (see also: New York Sneaker Society), peeling chickpeas, and stretching.  Do you love car washes as much as Kris Jenner, who compared the experience to Disneyland? Car accessories that peak our interest include the car trash can, car tweezers, elevated car air fresheners (featuring DS and Durga, Three Potato Four, L:A Bruket, and Hello Adrienne), and, last but *certainly* not least, CarLashes. Meghan Palmer’s That's so Interesting Newsletter gave us some great insights into car conversations. What are your favorite car listens—songs, audiobooks, all of it? Share them with us at 833-632-5463, podcast@athingortwohq.com, or @athingortwohq—or join our Geneva!  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 some support with professional counseling from BetterHelp and take 10% off your first month with our link. Shop for groceries with Thrive Market and take 30% off your first order plus snag a free $60 gift when you use our link Thrivemarket.com/athingortwo Become a green thumb with Fast Growing Trees—15% off your order when you use our link. YAY. Produced by Dear Media

We share our (hot?) takes on stickers and The Notebook; we share yours on your younger selves and Pioneer Day. This week’s past-selves quotes come to you via Slouching Towards Bethlehem by Joan Didian and this profile of Ryan Gosling in GQ by Zach Baron. The Notebook—James Marsden also has thoughts, ℅ this W mag profile by Evan Ross Katz. Related-ish: Roger Ebert’s own love story ​​"Roger loves Chaz." Stickers! Sandylion on Etsy, @stickerarchive, Red Bubble's nineties collection, and the Xyron Create-A-Sticker, for starters.  Let us know if you’re watching 1883 at 833-632-5463, podcast@athingortwohq.com, or @athingortwohq—or join our Geneva!  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 professional counseling with BetterHelp and take 10% off your first month with our link. Find wellness on your next stay at Westin. Level-up your garden with Fast Growing Trees—15% off your order when you use our link. Start hiring now with a $75 sponsored-job credit to upgrade your job post at Indeed. Produced by Dear Media YAY.

Today we’re diving into *your* Instagram Thingies submissions, rain clogs (yes, again), parenting stuff, and—wait for it—cotton-candy burritos.  We learned about cotton-candy burritos via Amy Sedaris’s wonderfully random IG account. Who’s opening that Creamberry franchise?  Two most popular Thingies right now: Checking out cookbooks from the library and the Owala FreeSip water bottle. Speaking of beverages, y’all have many ideas, including ice-cold Lillet Blanc with frozen orange slices, a Hugo spritz (prosecco + elderflower + soda water), a homemade Arnold Palmer, and a matcha lemonade (a close personal friend of said Arnold Palmer).  Re: golf, Malbon’s collab with Nike (see also: Laura Reilly’s Magasin newsletter). Re: rain clogs, Calzuros, for your consideration. And do we all know about the AIGA Eye on Design blog? In your good-news corner: Brentwood Country Mart’s celebration of Ninja Dave's retirement from UPS. Related: that Man Repeller style profile of their USPS guy, Aubrey Dowridge. CORN! SeaVees shoes, Fernando Laposse wood, Shucked, fresh corn mochi cake c/o Food Network (paired with all the corn soft-serve we’re seeing), and Corn Kid content (the original viral video here; its musical remix here). Finally, if you’re in NYC, do yourself a favor and see Alex Edelman’s one-man Just For Us on Broadway. (Related-ish: the romance novel A Shot in the Dark by Victoria Lee.) What Thingies are you loving right now!? Share with us at  833-632-5463, podcast@athingortwohq.com, or @athingortwohq—or join our Geneva!  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. Give your hair a boost with Nutrafol. Take $15 off your first month’s subscription with the code ATHINGORTWO. Find more weeknight dinner recipes at Pillsbury.com.  Find wellness on your next stay at Westin. Take advantage of the Partner to Empower program for entrepreneurs of color from Brookfield Properties—apply by August 11. Watch your garden flourish with Fast Growing Trees—15% off your order when you use our link. YAY. Produced by Dear Media