Radio 831: A Romance Podcast

This episode is all about the pressures we feel on our lives and our time (and, to a lesser extent, our necks and our tailbones). Don't sleep on this one, is what we're saying.

Live that ComfiLife! Side-sleep with a Hullo pillow!

The "Things We Want to Leave Behind and How to Start a Running Routine" ep we reference.

The Four Tendencies by Gretchen Rubin—there's also a quiz for that.

A handful of reads related to parenting (and, sigh, house work): All Joy and No Fun by Jennifer Senior, Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes, Drop the Ball by Tiffany Dufu, and More Work For Mother by Ruth Schwartz Cowan.

An enthusiastic endorsement of Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman.

Dirt's "The season of tabs" newsletter by Alex Aciman. WE RELATE.

"The Myth of the Productive Commute" installment of Anne Helen Petersen's Culture Study newsletter.

Talking about protecting your time with Mimi O Chun and "what happens if you don't?" with Caroline Moss.

For last-min. presents, might we suggest Secret Menu gift subscriptions?

Please share your obligation feeeeeelings! 833-632-5463, [email protected], or @athingortwohq!

Try professional counseling with BetterHelp—10% off your first month with our link. Sleep cozy in Printfresh—and get 15% off your first order with the code ATHINGORTWO. YAY.

Produced by Dear Media

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We're steaming (and pan-frying!) a lot of frozen dumplings, and we're recommending a lot of Thingies. Come along with us, huh?

But first: latke cookies.

A dumplings-as-an-aesthetic episode of this very podcast.

Frozen dumplings we're into: Fly by Jing and Nom Wah.

Stunning rainbow dumplings we're into: Sandita's rainbow dumplings.

Three things that make a big difference when cooking up dumplings at home: a bamboo steamer, Chinkiang black vinegar, and these Wing on Wo soup spoons. Another helpful resource: Lucky Peach Presents 101 Easy Asian Recipes.

Ok, Thingies!! Kevyn Aucoin Beauty The Volume Mascara (Claire) and Lily Lolo Natural Vegan Mascara (Erica), Saint Olio cleaner (plus hand sanitizer), Wolford tights (start with Velvet De Luxe 50 or 66), Zicam lozenges, Maldon salt (see: this Bon App article), Kewpie Deep-Roasted Sesame Dressing, Lo & Sons The O.G. 2 carry-on (plus a charming video), Kinto kids' dishes, and Trader Joe's Roasted & Salted Marcona Almonds with Rosemary.

Secret Menu gift subscriptions are ready and waiting.

Hit us with your feedback, your Thingies noms! 833-632-5463, [email protected], or @athingortwohq!

Download the (free!) Zocdoc app and book that doctor's appointment you've been putting off.

Take a break with Dipsea's hot 'n heavy audio stories—you get a free 30-day trial when you use our link.

Get your romance-movie fix with Redeeming Love, out in January.

Treat the skin on your body right with Esker and get 20% off with the code ATHINGORTWO.

YAY.

Produced by Dear Media

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Caroline Moss, host of the podcast Gee Thanks, Just Bought It!, brings joy to everything she does, and we're jazzed to ride her wave of holiday-giving enthusiasm straight through December and into 2022. Another thing we're taking into next year is our new mantra: What happens if you don't?

Julie Houts did the wonderful new illustration of us ya see in our podcast art! You've gotta check out her Instagram! Ooh, and shop her prints!

Related content: Erica waiting for Claire in fitting rooms.

If you don't listen to Caroline's podcast Gee Thanks, Just Bought It! yet, you're in for a treat. Our Black Friday ep with her could be a good starting point. Don't sleep on her gift guides either—or the book she co-wrote Hey Ladies!: The Story of 8 Best Friends, 1 Year, and Way, Way Too Many Emails.

Caroline's go-to Hallmark holiday movie: The Christmas List.

A few holiday giving initiatives Caroline supports and you can too (like, this year—not at all too late!): Operation Santa (there's a doc, Dear Santa, about it, even) and Transanta.

Vulture on the Christmas ep of Ted Lasso.

Re: Venmo and taxes, this Forbes piece.

"What Mutual Aid Can Do During a Pandemic" by Jia Tolentino for The New Yorker.

Tell us all of your thoughts! At 833-632-5463, [email protected], or @athingortwohq!

Secret Menu six-month or one-year gift subscriptions are very much a thing.

Get thicker, healthier hair with Nutrafol. Your first month's subscription is $15 off with the code ATHINGORTWO.

Try Printfresh's perfect-for-gifting sleepwear—and get 15% off your first order with the code ATHINGORTWO.

Give professional counseling a shot with BetterHelp—10% off your first month with our link.

Scoop up Ana Luisa jewelry during their biggest sale of the year—60% off on the second item you purchase with our link.

YAY.

Produced by Dear Media

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What an episode we have in store! We're going deep on some of our favorite recent discoveries from our Monday newsletter—which: If you aren't signed up for that thing, now's your chance to fix that.

The usefulness of the term bitch eating crackers (BEC) (for context: Someecards).

Celebrity memoirs as audiobooks: Inside Out by Demi Moore, Acid for the Children by Flea, and Yearbook by Seth Rogen (see also: this profile by Jonah Weiner for NYT Magazine). Next up: My Life So Far by Jane Fonda, Faithfull by Marianne Faithful, The Last Black Unicorn by Tiffany Haddish. Oh, and: the podcast Celebrity Book Club with Steven & Lily. Also: Please read Open by Andre Agassi and J.R. Moehringer!

Important breaking news: There is now Spelling Bee merch.

Let's hear Claire's QVC pitch for the Pattern mist spray bottle!! Somewhat related: Mario Badescu Facial Spray with Aloe, Herbs and Rosewater...as a hair product?

Erica's 11 a.m. tea go-to: Soul Chai. Another (slightly sweetened rec): Dona.

A workspace-changing Philips Hue light strip. You may also like: Gorilla mounting tape, Storage Theory Power Perch, and the Pretty Handy Girl video for changing your doorknobs.

Jewelry renovation with Spur = talk about amazing.

You know we love to hear from you! Get us at 833-632-5463, [email protected], or @athingortwohq.

Didya know we do six-month or one-year Secret Menu subscriptions? Ideal for gifting, tell you what.

Find your body skin type with Esker and get 20% off with the code ATHINGORTWO.

Control your coffee and tea temp with Ember. It's 10% off for first-time purchasers with our link.

Snuggle up with Printfresh's perfect-for-gifting sleepwear—and get 15% off your first order with the code ATHINGORTWO.

Score Ana Luisa jewelry during their biggest sale of the year—60% off on the second item you purchase with our link.

YAY.

Produced by Dear Media

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You know what we love? When someone makes a thing we're really desparate to use. Which means we can't wait for the launch of Postcard, a tool to help us share our travel recommendations in an intuitive and aesthetically pleasing way. We'll let David Cho tell ya all about it...and share his Thingies. That's right: a guest Thingies ep. Tell us how you feel about that??

Two relevant celebrity memoirs: Why Not Me? by Mindy Kaling and Yearbook by Seth Rogen.

Oh, the joy of a website called findcelebrityjobs.com.

Be Postcard guinea pigs! Make some lists! Send them to us!

David's Thingies! Orion Turtle Chips Choco Churros Flavor (and Sweet Corn if you're us), Rose Delights, therapy!!!, Golden Fertile Eggs, Sun Ha Jang in L.A., and "A Home Movies Thanksgiving Special with Alison Roman" (also her spring chicken with crispy leeks recipe).

Do you have Thingies noms? Hit us at 833-632-5463, [email protected], or @athingortwohq.

For so many more of our favorites, get yourself a Secret Menu subscription.

Scoop up Ana Luisa jewelry during their biggest sale of the year.

Keep that coffee and tea at the perfect temp with Ember. It's 10% off for first-time purchasers with our link.

Grab tickets for Redeeming Love and get your romance-movie fix.

Snag Printfresh's perfect-for-gifting sleepwear—and get 15% off your first order with the code ATHINGORTWO.

YAY.

Produced by Dear Media

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Gift Guide Round 3: Siblings, Teens, Co-Workers, Friends, and Grandparents!

Our third gift guide ep already?! We know. There's so much ahead—and behind if you missed part 1 and part 2—but if you're still on the present hunt, subscribe to Secret Menu for many more holiday-shopping thoughts 'n feelings.

Kids and Teens!

Almost 14 year old girl Brooklyn kid

• Art! Ideal Bookshelf 974: Feminists by Jane Mount, The Ten Largest, No. 2, Childhood, Group IV by Hilma af Klint, Krista Marie Young painting, and Amber Vittoria prints
• The start of a charm bracelet, maybe with this Catbird Holy Cannoli charm
• Studs e-gift card
• Lizzie Fortunato Little Candy DIY Kit (for a younger kid: Super Smalls or Susan Alexandra)
• Olive & June mani system
• Dye Kween Sleep mask or socks
• Kule T-shirt
• This Is What I Know About Art by Kimberly Drew
• Macmillan Visual Dictionary
• D C-T! by Joana Avillez and Molly Young
• Donation to Girl Up
• Monogrammed tech accessories from Leatherology

Angsty teenage nephews who already have everything

• Art! Eye Test Chart by George Mayerle, Every Outdoor Basketball Court in Manhattan by Jenny Odell (paired with How to Do Nothing?), or something from Top Posters & Prints
• Via the Public Announcement newsletter: Procure an iPod, load the iPod with music you love, give the iPod to the kid.
• Snacks: Bokksu, Patagonia Provisions, Lani Halliday pop-tarts, Blondery Blondies, or Oreo ID
• Audm subscription
• Courier magazine subscription
• Black Futures by Kimberly Drew and Jenna Wortham
• Youth to Power: Your Voice and How to Use it by Jamie Margolin
• Donation to Canines for Disabled Kids

10 year old niece who is obsessed with Japan (Japan trip isn't in the budget)

• Pen pal through Pen Friend Clubs of Japan (PFC)
• Sanrio! Gudetama bank, Hello Kitty happy lunch box set, and all the stickers, pens, notebooks
• Punilabo scissors
• Paperi Design Shop Hiragana chart
• Bokksu Japanese snack subscription
• Tatsuya Tanaka Miniature Life calendar
• Maruchan Ramen Noodle planter from Happy Plants
• Mochidoki
• Kawaii Pen Shop gift card
• Kizuna gift box

Nephews/Godsons who already have so much stuff. They are 6 months (read: only interested in food but not really able to eat it) and 4. The 4 year old loves trucks, singing, Toy Story, and learning about everything. but he has all of the things! While I think donations are cool, I'm not really interested in that for a four year old who won't understand that i didn't forget to give him a gift.

• National Diaper Bank Network donation
• Kitpas bath crayons
• Raddish
• Foodstirs DIY cookie kit
• Haus playhouse
• Parchie watch
• Pedersen + Lennard balance bike
• Twee planet chalk
• Storytime Chess
• Areaware Blockitecture set
• WayToPlay car track

Brothers and Brothers-in-Law!

My 35 yo brother who exclusively wears shirts from regattas, has horrible taste in women

• A feature in the Hot Singles newsletters
• Hama Hama oysters
• The Rope Co. nautical rope doormat
• Games: Wolfum checkers/chess set or Molkky
• Grailed vintage regatta gear
• Vaer Field Watch
• Blackbird Spyplane paid subscription
• Sirene Journal
• Ocean Conservancy donation

Brother who's living #vanlife

• Fancy tinned fish: Big Night if you're in NYC, Conserva Culture, and Fishwife
• Opinel No. 8 beechwood handle knife
• Westerlind for clothes
• Alice Waters egg spoon or one from Eggspoon.com
• Human Race rice powder cleanser or routine pack
• Libro.fm subscription for audiobooks
• Feeding America donation

Sisters and Sisters-in-Law!

Sister - has main character energy. Runs an apple cider vin business. Into funky style.

• Leanne Ford x Crate & Barrel measuring cups
• Krista Marie Young oven mitts
• Jacques Benoît vinegar pot
• Custom perfume from Nova
• Vintage blown-glass apples on Etsy
• James Shaw candleholders
• Isabel Halley wine cups or dessert plates
• Novel Mart boquerones baseball cap
• Edas earrings
• Carleen quilted vest
• Custom hand-painted sign from Cevallos Brothers or Olive Panter
• Oui the People rose gold razor
• The Missoni Family Cookbook
• Black Farmer Fund donation

My sister: hyper-intellectual, single, gay, social justice dr., autoimmune issues so stuck home.

• Dusen Dusen PJs
• Royal Jelly PJs
• Mizar and Alcor robe
• Clare Salvo Cards Against Malarkey
• Hollie Velten Big Sur cushion
• Horti plant subscription
• People's Pottery Project ceramics
• RIP Medical Debt donation
• Mary Roach books: Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law, Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void, and Grunt: The Curious Science of Humans at War

Sister in law who is mostly great and has very good taste but veryyy self absorbed, always has long term relationships but then doesn't commit because she doesn't believe in compromise, likes good food wine coffee, and also clothes (everlane/& other stories), likes to be luxe but in a slightly (not completely) subdued way.

• Ceramic coffee set-up, like Anna Lebrija french press or Zizi Ceramics dripper set
• Gjusta Goods coffee gift box
• Big Macs & Burgundy by Vanessa Price and Adam Laukuf
• Eater Wine Club subscription
• Aqua de Vida balm bars
• Susanne Kaufman bath oil or bath oil trio
• The Gentlewoman Modern Manners
• Jamie Beck Pinot Noir series poster
• Ripped Bodice Read, Romance, Repeat subscription box
• Esther Perel Where Should We Begin - A Game of Stories
• Inclusive Therapists donation

My fiance's family does a gift exchange with the extended family with the idea that you can get a bigger/better gift for the one person instead of having to buy something smaller for everyone. I got assigned his cool cousin who lives in NYC. She's in her late 30's, got married 2 years ago, no kids, and she's a really successful lawyer. We only see her so often and she's usually on her computer keeping up with work when we do see her, so I don't have a great idea of her interests...besides they have a tiny dog that they love. I always love an experience gift for people, def something there with NYC? One other possibility is my fiance got her older sister in the gift exchange, so there's a possibility that we could do something that the both of them could enjoy together? Her sister lives in a Philly suburb and has a family with 2 kids so different point of life.

• Little Beast dog sweater
• Katie Kimmel custom vase
• Laylo Pets x Altuzarra dog bed
• Susan Alexandra dog leash and collar
• Card holder: OAD wallet or Bottega Veneta credit card holder
• Flower Flash by Lewis Miller
• Museum or botanical garden membership
• Tickets to Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show (deadline is 11/29!)

Aunts, Uncles, Grandparents, and Other Adults You Know!

Next door neighbor, 94 year old Italian woman who loves the Pope and New England sports

• Go up for Glory by Bill Russell
• Novel Mart Italiano collection—a bolognese sweatshirt, a ravioli hat!
• Chefanie farfalle barrettes
• Grossy Pelosi pasta water mug (with homemade Italian Holiday cookies!)
• Issimo soup box or Eataly gift box
• From Roy panettone
• Felt Pope Christmas ornament

Older curmudgeonly uncle with lots of stories and jokes. Cooks but scorns fancy equipment.

• Miami Fruit
• Pickle Guys
• Degen YUCK sweater
• America's Test Kitchen membership
• Made In cookware
• Small Victories by Julia Turshen
• Save Room for Pie by Roy Blount Jr.
• Local food bank donation

My smart feminist ex-social worker grandma who likes G&Ts and is a hoarder

• Six Barrel Soda Co. tonic bundle or Sunwink tonic variety pack subscription
• Chefanie cocktail napkins
• Made by DWC gift set
• Woman Made: Great Women Designers by Jane Hall
• Plan C or National Network of Abortion Funds donation

Friends!

29 y/o BFF who just got dumped and fired, she loves Rebecca Solnit, POOG, and yoga

• Private yoga class with one of her fave instructors
• Sky Ting TV gift card
• One of Rebecca Solnit's atlases
• Collective Wisdom by Grace Bonney
• Start Where You Are or When Things Fall Apart by Pema Chödrön
• Esker gift set
• Something creativity-focused: Gondola Pastels, POJ Studio waza kits, The F Series paint sticks, Studio Sundays art supplies, Art Life practice kits, and Unwind Studio needlepoint kits
• Dipsea gift certificate

Best friend! loves old furniture and travel and old churches and beauty, less than $100

• The Furniture Bible: Everything You Need to Know to Identify, Restore & Care for Furniture by Christophe Pourny
• Stained glass or glass-blowing workshop: Pressed Flowers Stained Glass at Urban Glass in NYC on 12/9
• Miniature stained glass churches—so many good ones on Etsy, like this
• Trendy-ish beauty service, like brow laminating
• Sania's Brow Bar pencil, tweezers, and scissors
• Partners for Sacred Places donation

Co-Workers and Bosses!

My boss who is a die hard AKA sorority sister (same as Kamala Harris), v much part of the Bey-hive, and wears all of the hats (boss, mentor, counselor, mom, wife).

• EXAU olive oil
• Justice of the Pies pie
• Cult Pens advent calendar
• Vintage AKA tee—here, here, and here
• Drop the Ball by Tiffany Dufu
• Kamala and Maya's Big Idea
• Un|bound five-year journal
• Black Girls Code donation

People I work with - design studio so they all already have access to nice things. Our team is small enough that the vibe is to give everyone something? Under $40

• Bonilla a la vista patatas fritas
• Custom Marmite or Sour Patch Kids
• Cute food! Opopop, Omsom, Soul Chai, Cornbread26 madeleines, The Chai Box gift set, Gjusta marinated olive oil, and Batchworthy
• Que water bottles
• Moglea playing cards
• Vintage interior design book that you pick out for each
• Ali Forney Center donation

For last year's gift guides, head here and here.

What are your last-minute gifting go-tos? We wanna know at 833-632-5463 and @athingortwohq!

Download the Zocdoc app—it's free!—and book that doctor's appointment you've been putting off.

Explore all of our favorite gift picks at MoMA Design Store—so much amazing stuff, and it's 10% of now through November 24 with the code ATHINGORTWO online or in store.

Try professional counseling with BetterHelp—10% off your first month with our link.

Gift the coffee- and tea-drinkers in your life Ember. It's 10% off for first-time purchasers with our link.

YAY.

Produced by Dear Media

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you just CAN'T with the gifting stress, drama, and intrigue this year and are looking to do some one-stop shopping, well, welcome to our second gift guide of the season, in partnership with the glorious, aesthetically driven team over at MoMA Design Store. Use the code ATHINGORTWO online or in store for 10% off your purchase now through November 24 (fine print below)—and know that every purchase supports the museum's collection and education programs. Talk about a GWP!

Heyo: Dig into all of our MoMA Design Store gifting picks.

Healthcare practitioners who I see regularly but don't know on a personal level

• 2022 Stendig Poster Calendar or 2022 Jumping Point Calendar
• Yoshitomo Nara Bandages
• Italian Ball Candle
• MoMA Monet and Ed Ruscha artist masks

My new colleagues who I want to love me. Something cheap, cute, and maybe useful.

• Extendable Phone Stand
• Denis Guidone Milano Times Hourglasses
• Twist Cable Protector - Set of 3
• MoMA Touchscreen Mist Cleaner

I have to buy gifts for approximately eight thousand kids. Is there anything that I could buy that all of them would like? They are various ages between 0-10 years old.

• The Great New York Subway Map
• Coloring books! Coloring Book Henri Matisse, Keith Haring Coloring Book, Keith Haring: My First Coloring Book, To the Moon: The Longest Fold-Out Coloring Book in the World
• Making with MoMA Smush Crayon
• Art out of the Box
• Small Night Light - Miffy, Boris, Lion or Miffy and Friends Silicone Rechargeable Lights
• The Hoptimist

Dating for 3 mo by the time xmas is here. Wants to ride tandem bike. Dairy & nut free.

• Gemini Express Espresso Set
• Happy Socks for MoMA Set (3)
• Vince Kurr Tabletop Shuffleboard Game
• Julian F. Bond Corknet Ping Pong Set

My husband who loves fancy Japanese mugs, Swedish menswear, and guitar pedals

• Design books: Structured Lineages: Learning from Japanese Structural Design, From Postwar to Postmodern: Art in Japan, 1945–1989, Primary Documents, and JUDD
• HAY Coffee Pot
• Man Ray: Chess Pieces
• Japanese Maekake Workshop Cotton Apron

90 year old Grandma who lives in Scottsdale. She loves golf, crafting, playing cards, shopping, and hot weather. She has a condo full of tons of stuff - she collects trinkets and has multiple collections of China, glassware, etc. so I avoid giving her something that's just an item that will sit on a shelf. She is sometimes lonely and really likes activities but is easily intimidated by things that seem too hard. I gave her a 500 piece puzzle last year and at first she thought she could never do it but she ended up finishing it and got it framed. She's the absolute cutest but also very set in her ways. I like to give her something that can be consumed or created so I don't add to clutter but she is very thrifty as a depression era woman and will savor things forever. Sometimes things like lotions or candles never end up getting used. She also loves jewlery and clothing. She walks to church every day in a sensible heel.

• Glass Coffee Ornament Set
• Wildlife Garden Birdhouse and Feeder
• DIY Rainbow Needlepoint Kit
• Andrew Wyeth Jigsaw Puzzle

65+ crowd that have everything! Bring in the MOMA recs!

• Bodum Breadbox with Cutting Board
• HAY George Sowden Toaster
• Michele De Lucchi Plissé Electric Kettle
• Larq UV Purifying Pitcher
• Self-Watering Wet Pots
• Avocado Vase and Acorn Vase
• Bala Fitness Weight Bangles - Set of 2

My brother and his stylist boyfriend who has intimidatingly good taste

• Fenestra Bookends and House Bookends
• Cloudnola Flipping Out Text Clock
• Renee Vedrig Textime Clock
• Pond Mirror
• Ester & Erik Cone Candles

FIL loves smoking meats, nice wine, and mansplaining the weather.

• Meater+ Thermometer
• Microwave Grill
• Multi-ccino Mug
• Weather, Weather by Maira Kalman and Daniel Handler
• Baggu Recycled Nylon Wine Totes - Set of 3
• George Nelson™ Fireplace Tool Set

Dad who loves gadgets and has a home theatre with a projector

• Solo Stove Fire Pit with Stand
• TEAC TN-400BTSEWA Bluetooth Turntable
• Toyo ST-350 Tool Box
• Keith Haring Edition Polaroid Now Camera
• Scrabble Luxe Edition Game
• Automania
• MoMA Annual Membership

MIL likes soft things, needs for nothing

• Dusen Dusen Striped Bathrobe
• Margo Selby Halley Scarf
• Subu Indoor/Outdoor Slippers
• Big Love Ice Cream Spoon Set
• Bicolore Tissue Box

My mother who likes luxe things but doesn't like it when we overspend.

• Estelle Colored Glass Cake Stand
• Hinoki Wood Bath Mat
• Raawii Strøm Collection
• Burgon & Ball Steel Watering Can

My veteran sister who only wears zip off pants & carves wood in her free time.

• Verloop Balaclava Ski Mask
• MoMA Champion Sports Bra
• Sophie Monet Pine Wood Huggie Earrings
• Tivoli Model One Bluetooth Radio
• Welly Adventure First Aid Kit
• LED Lantern Speaker

13-year old girl who's very creative and into music

• KAWS THE THINGS THAT COMFORT Jigsaw Puzzle
• Kids' MoMA Champion Hoodie
• Double Rainbow Maker
• 1 Page at a Time: A Daily Creative Companion
• 3D Origami Construction Kit
• Lexon Mino+ Wireless Charging Speaker
• Artiphon Orba Musical Instrument
• Stylophone S1 Pocket Synthesizer

The code ATHINGORTWO gets you 10% off your purchase online or in store now through November 24, 2021. The fine print: Cannot be combined with membership discount or other offers. Not valid on the purchase of memberships, past purchases, and select products. Redeemable at store.moma.org and at US MoMA Design Store locations.

Produced by Dear Media

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Gift Guide Round 1: Moms, Dads, and Significant (or Formerly Significant) Others

It's gift-guide season around these parts, and here we are with the first of three—three!—installments to help you along with the hardest-to-shop-for people in your life (hopefully). If you need more ideas, subscribing to Secret Menu might be just the answer.

Moms and Mothers-in-Law!

Single mom by choice to an amazing little girl. Since it's just the two of us and she's a toddler, I need to help her buy her a gift for me. I realize that buying a gift for one's self shouldn't be difficult but I'm saving to buy us a condo and this will be my one quality and/or impractical spend for the foreseeable future. So I want to make it count and I'd love your help. I am willing to spend up to $400.00. I appreciate smart function in design and I have lost zero baby weight, so anything that involves sizing has the potential to make me cry, which feels like it would defeat the purpose. I work about 75 hours a week and am currently doing so remotely. Would love to hear your thoughts. Thanks!

• Fused bracelet like a Fewer Finer Eternal Bracelet or an Ochre Objects Permanence one
• Birthstone earrings—maybe one of your birthstone and one of hers. White/Space Francesca studs are sold as solos.
• Earrings/necklace you could build on each year: Scosha charms, Lizzie Fortunato mood necklace with an alphabet charm, and Fewer Finer vintage charms
• Kinn Studio locket
• A break! A one-night staycation or spa day

76 yo mom, super practical, can't throw stuff away, just lost her husband of 60+ years.

• Tidy Tova Virtual Tidiness
• Organizing accessories: Hay, Open Spaces, and Yamazaki Home
• POJ Studio Kintsugi Kit
• Mending kit: Merchant & Mills Rapid Repair Kit and Purl Soho Cotton Mending Thread
• Yuns Hardware gift certificate
• Dims Watering Can + Via Citrus tree
• Monthly flower delivery—you can make any bouquet a subscription with Farmgirl Flowers
• Miriam Toews novel: Fight Night or Women Talking
• Donation to her local library

My new step mom who has very good taste and loves thrifting

• Summersill & Bishop alphabet napkins
• Vintage calendar from 2011, 2005, 1994, 1983, 1977, 1966, 1955, 1949, 1938, or 1927
• Greystone Needlepoint book cover
• Back issues of a favorite magazine—Gourmet?
• Berea College Student Craft
• Machete Apple Watch band
• Misette colorblock collection
• Beata Heuman: Every Room Should Sing
• The House that Pinterest Built by Diane Keaton
• Vintage piece from French Larkspur or One Day in France
• Do thrifting for her—splatterware, jadeite, or Fiestaware?

Frumpy MIL that you can't stand

• Ember mug (now a travel one, too)
• Eileen Fisher brushed recycled cotton cashmere scarf
• Hillery Sproatt blanket
• Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout
• Psychic Outlaw quilted stocking
• Farmhouse Pottery gift set
• Mutual aid org

My southern mom who thinks NYC made me snobby

• Magnolia Bakery banana pudding
• Oliver Pluff Southern Style Iced Tea
• Cookbooks by Southern female chef: Black, White, and the Grey by Mashama Bailey and John O. Morisano and Mosquito Supper Club by Melissa M. Martin
• Chara's BBQ sauce
• These Precious Days by Ann Patchett
• Alabama Chanin sewing kit

Dads and Fathers-in-Law!

My dad! A very intelligent man. Passionate about baseball but has season tickets. Very covid cautious. Has read all books. Doesn't drink. Isn't handy (no tools). Plays scrabble and has all the boards, no other games. Very fashion apathetic and I always get him clothes. Likes to bike but has a very nice bike and all accessories. Has snow shovel service. Really only cares about his grandkids but spends tons of time with them. Still works (lawyer) and tends to buy anything he needs which is very little! Always a conumdrum.

• Equal Justice Initiative donation
• Argo attachment for front of bike to haul grandkids (group gift potential)
• Non-alcoholic bevs: Ghia, Non, Acid League Wine Proxies, Hella Cocktail Bitters & Soda variety pack, Avec
• NYT Crossword/Spelling Bee subscription
• StoryWorth
• Black Champions in Cycling by Marlon Moncrieffe

My dad! Buys himself everything he needs, likes rock and roll bios and mushrooming. and wine!

• Smallhold mushroom grow kit
• Mushrooms in the Middle: A Smallhold Cookbook
• How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us about Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence by Michael Pollan
• A Really Good Day: How Microdosing Made a Mega Difference in My Mood, My Marriage and My Life by Ayelet Waldman (paired with this Yelp review??)
• Acid for the Children by Flea and donation to Silverlake Conservatory of Music
• Rose Los Angeles x Gossamer CBD Rosin Delights
• Cure Crate
• Maison Noir mix case
• Coda Collection subscription
• Eden Reforestation Projects donation
• Last Prisoner Project donation

FIL: widower, engineer, spotless home, not into design, kinda into fitness & cooking

• Blue Hill charcuterie picks
• Tapas the José Andrés Way
• Allday knife
• Spices: Burlap & Barrel and Diaspora Co.
• Omsom
• Everyone's Table: Global Recipes for Modern Health by Gregory Gourdet & JJ Goode
• The Essential New York Times Cookbook: The Recipes of Record (Anniversary)
• Top Drawer reversible slippers
• Future gift certificate
• Andree Jardin duster and/or Saint Olio cleaning spray and room spray
• Engineers without Borders donation

Romantic Partners (and Former Ones)!

A NFT-obsessed new dad who wants to be a lumberjack but actually buys Aimee Leon Dore

• King Kennedy Rugs bag or bomber
• Corridor plaid shirt
• Drake's check work shirt
• Fear of God thermal pant + henley
• Clark's Wallabees
• Blackstock & Weber loafers
• Garagiste gift certificate
• Blockchain for Babies (to read to the kid!)
• Best Made axe
• Melanie Abrantes DIY plate set
• Woodworking classes: Makeville Studio in Brooklyn or LA Woodshop in L.A.

I need help with my 49-year-old, male, partner. He's a commercial architect, but is super judgey about architect stuff. He constantly scrolls Zillow and vintage car sites. He drinks bourbon, but doesn't want whisky stones and we have an excellent set of glasses. He likes luxury, but won't wear a logo ever. He loves art - folk, sculpture, modern (sometimes the weirder the better) and he created about half the pieces in our house. We live in Atlanta, watch garbage TV and eat/cook good food. Help!

• Cameo from garbage TV cast member announcing an experiential gift
• Glaze Studio matchboxes
• Meet Your Matches commission
• Pedersen + Lennard bird feeder
• George Jensen bottle opener or cocktail shaker
• The materials for a Self Assembly project
• Do It Yourself by Thomas Barnthaler
• Vinty vintage/classic car rental
• Banner Butter

Old soul male significant other who manages to find all the wilderness in nyc (birding in prospect park, surfing in the rockaways) in his 20s.

• Matuse wetsuit—or gloves or booties
• Merch (or sauna time or a haircut) from Almeda Club, a cute Rockaways surf shop
• Overnight stay in the Rockaways at The Rockaway Hotel or the vintage 1963 Shasta camper on Hipcamp
• Trip to Mohonk Mountain House (also does daypasses)
• Bose Soundlink indoor/outdoor speaker
• Field Guide to the Neighborhood Birds of New York City by Leslie Day
• Donation to Laru Beya Collective

Girlfriend who is super Catholic but also super woo and into crystals, energy, etc.

• Cool cross necklace from Pamela Love, Chan Luu, or Erica Weiner (coral, turquoise, etc.!)
• Spur—if there's a crystal that means something to her, get it made into jewelry!
• PIA jewelry
• Vintage books on herbalism
• Priestdaddy by Patricia Lockwood
• Golde Complete wellness and beauty kit
• Crockd Pottery Kit
• Donation to DignityUSA

My ex husband who doesn't deserve a gift but we share a daughter together

• Something for them to do together—tickets to a basketball game or a museum, a video game, etc.

A friend who I had a thing with (years ago) and has a jealous girlfriend

• Nothing! This person does not need a gift from you!
• If you want to win her over, something consumable for them: Westbourne snacks, Zingerman's noodle kugel, Pizzeria Bianco pizzas, Loria Stern something, or Blackberry Farm biscuits three ways

For last year's gift guides, head here and here.

Keep those VMs and DMs coming at 833-632-5463 and @athingortwohq!

Shop all of our favorite gift picks at MoMA Design Store—so much stunning stuff, and it's 10% of now through November 24 with the code ATHINGORTWO online or in store.

Escape with Dipsea's hot 'n heavy audio stories—you get a free 30-day trial when you use our link.

Get cookin' with Made In's professional-grade cookware. 15% off your first order with the code ATHINGORTWO.

Dabble in CBD with Cure Crate and take 20% off your first order with the code ATHINGORTWO.

YAY.

Produced by Dear Media

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What a treat it is to talk to one of our favorite artists, Mimi O Chun, who just mounted her first gallery show! Deeply impressive, we know. Speaking of impressive, there's one department store that's doing it for us lately, and we (predictably) have a lot to say about that.

Friends, a contest. Submit your best stab at a description for this podcast via voicemail to 833-632-5463, email to [email protected], or IG DM to @athingortwohq. There's Professional Enthusiast merch in store for the winner…

The lore of the set of tires being returned to Nordstrom: It's true.

If you're in the Phoenix area—or will be between now and January—go see Mimi O Chun's show It's all cake at the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art.

Watch this video for a taste of Mimi's work and, dear god, please follow her on IG.

"Museum of Oat Dreams (for One)"—wowowow.

Stuffed Hipster Emblems!

Mimi's sister Miro is an amazing ceramicist, too: Check out Miro Made This for her work.

Find a professional counselor with BetterHelp—10% off your first month with our link.

Get moving with Girlfriend Collective's sustainable, ethically made activewear. $25 off your first purchase of $100 or more when you use our link.

Grow thicker, healthier hair with Nutrafol. Your first month's subscription is $15 off with the code ATHINGORTWO.

YAY.

Produced by Dear Media

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today, we bring you love and affection for a renowned butter sculptor, complicated feelings about baking, and some pretty sweet recipes for Q4 2021.

The retirement of the Minnesota State Fair butter sculptor, per The StarTribune! Related: the Christopher Guest-ish movie Butter.

Andy Murray and the case of the stolen tennis shoes and wedding ring that were returned.

Dorie Greenspan's compelling argument for baking in a recent Garden & Gun interview.

Three baking cookbooks Erica loves: The Cake Bible, Cannelle Et Vanille: Nourishing, Gluten-Free Recipes for Every Meal and Mood, and The Four & Twenty Blackbirds Pie Book: Uncommon Recipes.

Some baking recipes we have up our sleeves: Claudia Roden's Orange and Almond Cake, Julia Turshen's Afternoon Cake, Smitten Kitchen Strawberry Summer Cake, Yotam Ottolenghi's Flourless Coconut Cake, Julia Child's Genoa Almond Cake / Pain de Gênes (page 78 here), Emily Luchetti's Ginger Cookies (and Emily Luchetti's Stareos), Ovenly's Salted Peanut Butter Cookies, Dorie Greenspan's 3-Ingredient Almond Crackle Cookies, skillet cookies (with Brutus Bakeshop Miso Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough—or perhaps the Real Simple's Flourless Chocolate Skillet Cake With Coffee Ice Cream take), NYT's Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Cake.

Have you made Butter Mochi? Tell us more.

Holiday recipes specifically: NYT's Bourbon Pecan Pie, Lidia Bastianich's Ricotta Cookies, Butter(nut) Balls, Heavenly Hash, Molly Yeh's Stollen Bars, Gourmet's Spoon Cookies, Lidia Bastianich's Pignoli Cookies (or Grossy Pelosi's).

Whatcha got cookin' over there? Let us know at 833-632-5463, [email protected], and/or @athingortwohq.

For another slice of this A Thing or Two content (every week, even), sign up for Secret Menu (and our Monday newsletter if you don't get that already!).

Find some chill with Calm and take 40% off a premium subscription with our link.

Treat your migraines with Cove. Your first month of medication is 50% off with our link.

Heat things up with Made In's professional-grade cookware. 15% off your first order with the code ATHINGORTWO.

YAY.

Produced by Dear Media

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.