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10 Things We're Doing Besides Finding Our Warm-Weather Wearables
Because summer shouldn’t be all about whites and jewel tones, we started designing the latest PC by Of a Kind collection with a pretty perfect color palette in mind: army green and pale blue. Which, you may recall, were also the hues of the two best (and summeriest) scents of Gap’s nineties-era foray into fragrances: Grass and Dream. Right on the nose, if you ask us.
erica’s things
Puttin’ on a lip to go see War Paint on Broadway—about the decades-long rivalry between Elizabeth Arden and Helena Rubinstein (and the biz-lady B.S. they both endured).
Craving some sort of rich-but-summery dinner and getting exactly what I wanted from this zucchini carbonara recipe.
Streamlining the process of finding whether a username is available on alllllll the platforms (MySpace included) with this handy thing.
Re-falling in love with papercut art c/o these.
Talking about nothing while eating lunch at Little Pepper in College Point, Queens, aside from how unreasonably good the string beans, the cumin lamb, the mapo tofu, the scallion fried rice, the everything tastes.
claire’s things
Buying a home (!!!), a process which involved a lot of bros I hope to never interact with again, with the strong exception of our real-estate broker, Grant, who I liked way, way more than I ever thought I could like a broker. (Sorry, brokers.)
Ridding myself of my Ziploc bag habit (and the waste-related guilt that attends it) with the help of these remarkably useful things.
Hearing from a friend with a little one that my longtime go-to cotton tee doubles as an A+ breast-feeding uniform. (I hear the same about this, too, by the way—a slightly more office-appropriate option.)
Trying to remember the last time I got excited about a new-to-me personal blog the way I have with Messy Nessy.
Wondering how long until this sponge-like thing that does duty as a lint- and hair-catcher, duster, and god knows what else becomes the next viral home product. Obsessed with it for those shiny white countertops that are dust traps.
turn it up to 11 - from erica
Treating my skin real nice with a cleanser that doesn’t dry it out, make it feel tight, or otherwise give it a hard time.
10 Things We're Doing Besides Talking Your Ears Off
Lately on the podcast, a few things that…
Felt too obvious to include in this newsletter—but that we need to discuss anyway. (Plus the scoop on the polish colors that are ending up on everyone’s hands and feet, from the founder of cult-favorite nail salon, Olive & June.)
Alex would like to tell the world about proper dating etiquette. (Plus the scoop on the Turkish rugs that are ending up on everyone’s arms and feet, from the founder of cult-favorite accessories line, Artemis Design Co.)
erica’s things
Marveling at the innovation that is self-cling bubble wrap—because anything that eliminates battles with packing tape deserves our respect.
Craving Zapp’s Voodoo Heat chips, especially served as a cocktail snack as they do at Diamond Reef in Brooklyn.
Finding that the content of The Mothers is on par with the cover design (which, I should note, is v. v. v. good).
Envisioning floors and backsplashes covered in these tiles—or these or these! I’m falling down a rabbithole, no doubt grout about it.
Predicting that my consumption of this salad (and that anchovy dressing of its) will hit absurd levels—check back in with me in a month.
claire’s things
Relishing a very meaty conversation between my favorite radio personality and my favorite Delawarean.
Reintroducing mascara into my makeup routine after a brief hiatus because I finally found one that leaves zero shmutz underneath my eyes (for real).
Still mourning the discontinuation of the Nike Free 3.0s—the shoe that converted me to the barefoot-ish running trend—but taking comfort in the next best thing.
Feeling silly telling you how fanatically I love Schwab bank but feeling even sillier keeping it a secret. Their customer service is unparallelled. (And, FYI: They don’t just do brokerage stuff—I use ‘em strictly for plain old checking.)
Absorbing an extraordinary story about the role of humor in times of strife.
turn it up to 11 - from claire
Counting on my loved ones to tell me when I have overworn this thing to the point of embarrassment.
10 Things We're Doing Besides HIRING.
We’ve got one spot open on the dream team that is Of a Kind, and if we had to take a guess, the perfect candidate for it—somebody with serious marketing and project-management chops—is probably already making a weekly habit of reading this newsletter, soooo…
erica’s things
Getting excited about a dustpan.
Celebrating something BIG with a flashy, shiny, enthusiastic balloon that takes about 60 seconds (and no helium access) to bring to life.
Eating a shockingly satisfying salad at an airport—the kale and garlic shrimp one from a place called, if ya can believe it, Go-Go White Sox Grill at Midway. Recommended pairing: cheese + caramel popcorn from quotation-mark-abuser "Nuts on Clark" (just careful calling what they dish out Chicago Mix).
Taking recs for a serious sports bra from Serena Williams after my ol’ standby was discontinued.
Trying to keep all the Chrises straight. If you require additional tutoring as I do, there’s also this.
claire’s things
Getting as close to making my own pão de queijo as I ever will, thanks to YuBuns, which give off the unmistakable aroma of really having your life together if you pop ‘em in the oven 30 minutes before friends come by.
Drooling over the handmade hues of Toronto Ink Company, all derived from natural ingredients like wild grapes, bark, and bricks. DIY ‘em if you’re feeling brave.
Thinking of this wonderful piece on the magic of cross-generational friendship after spending the week on the road interviewing some seriously inspirational work wives, who, fingers crossed, will be continue to double-date us.
Speaking of being on the road for a week: This was a remarkably cathartic read. (“The flight is delayed for more than two hours, for whimsical reasons known only to the airline.”)
Rounding-out asparagus season with a lick-the-plate recipe that’s ready in 10 minutes flat if you skip the leek shenanigans.
turn it up to 11 - from erica
Dabbing this stuff on for a nineties-ish, brick-red lip that doesn’t feel too Fairuza-Balk-in-The-Craft intense.
10 Things We're Doing Besides Stillllll Podcasting!
The latest from A Few Things—straight from Alex’s House to your ears:
+ THE Jami Attenberg came on #ReadingThings to chat all about Saint Mazie and give us some straight talk re: our casting decisions.
+ Alex is still living single, and we’re still feeling smug for knowing what the Indian dance style Bharatanatyam and teen-dance sensation Maddie Ziegler have in common.
+ We go deep on our love for Maya Kaimal and for all things chickpea-adjacent.
erica’s things
Sending moolah via Popmoney, which transfers funds from one bank account to another by way of someone’s phone number or email address using the ol’ ACH network.
Cleaning a tough-to-get-at vase with just a little rice—rice!
Praise-handing the discovery that my SPF brand of choice, Supergoop, now has a (sweat-resistant) powder sunscreen—so easy to swipe on your face before a run or to dab on your shoulders when you’re catching more rooftop rays than planned.
Tuning in for this captivating, calculus-y episode of Radiolab, especially the segment on the Erdös Number Project, which is kind of like Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon but for mathematicians. (And, um, add to that that there is such a thing as an Erdös-Bacon Number.)
Experiencing regular cravings for the spicy thai salad from by Chloe, the pretty ‘n speedy vegan joint that’s about to open in its fourth city (that happened fast!).
claire’s things
Already missing the eminently likable characters in No One Can Pronounce my Name, Rakesh Satyal’s funny, touching novel about Indian-Americans living in Cleveland, Ohio.
Crossing my fingers that this will solve what might be the hardest part of my upcoming move: ending my reliance on doormen.
Dog-earing the crap out of the latest issue of Cherry Bombe, which has everything from a meaty interview with Martha Stewart to words of wisdom from the CEO of Vitamix, who, as it turns out, is the fourth generation in her family to run that empire (!).
Scooping up this seriously stunning book of still lifes by Irving Penn. His retrospective at The Met reminded me that they’re every bit as breathtaking as his fashion photography.
Wanting all of my working lunches (...and breakfasts and dinners) to take place at Pondicheri in NYC. Whichever meal you choose, chickpea chocolate fudge should be your dessert.
turn it up to 11 - from claire
Slathering on a body lotion that doesn’t leave me sticky or greasy—who knew it was possible?!