Sonja Foust

The Not-Boring Stuff

2012-05-16T19:01:45Z

I thought that when I got back from New York, my life would be boring and uneventful. And maybe it is a little boring and uneventful, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have stuff to do. It’s just boring, uneventful stuff. Mostly.

Here’s the not-boring stuff I’ve been up to:

What I Wrote

I did a manicure, and it turned out about like you’d expect.

On Teh Internets

Remember when CraftFail.com featured my strawberry asscakes v 2.0 on their NAILED IT section? Well, shortly after that, they asked me to be a regular guest poster on the blog. Um, squeee! So my first guest post evar is up there, on making a paloma.

What I Read

Fifty Shades of Grey (Fifty Shades #1) by E.L. James - Um, I’m not sure what to say about this one. I liked it. The sex was hot. The hero was hot. I think that the reason that this book is so popular is that it taps into something important about people in general, that being that we want to be loved and taken care of. Anyway, good read. Not classic literature or anything, but it doesn’t have to be in order to be enjoyable. (If you want my full review with spoilers, look on GoodReads.)

What I Watched

Religulous – Don’t bother. Bill Maher is a buttface.

Swordfish – An oldie but a goodie. There’s much to love in this movie, not the least of which is watching Hugh Jackman try to be a hacker. I am not convinced, but I guess the kind of hacker I envision (fat, pasty, smells like cheese, snorts when he laughs) wouldn’t make a good movie hero.

Freejack – Completely stupid, but kind of fun.

The Bachelorette – Holy freakshow. The guy with the egg just makes me stare, all googly-eyed, because I don’t know what to do with that information. Also, I’m pretty convinced that our dear bachelorette will be able to eventually find something wrong with all of these guys because they are not her dead fiance. I dunno. Maybe the football player has a chance.

Other Crap

If you want to keep up with me on a minute by minute basis and just can’t wait to find out what the next piece of gray matter I toss up on the Internets will be, you can follow me on Twitter, Google+, and Pinterest.

Start Spreading the News

2012-05-07T03:36:22Z

Y’all, I’m in New York, and this place cray. This is only my second time ever in New York, and I have to tell you, I don’t remember it being quite this cool. It’s sort of like the stinky underbelly of Disneyland for grown ups, except with more taxis. (I don’t care how many taxis you think are here. There are more.)

Imma have to get back to you on all the New York goodness, though, because I have places to see. If you must have more from me, I suggest reading the below and clicking all the links.

So here’s what I’ve been up to:

What I wrote:

If you haven’t heard the saga of the fractured foot, you are probably the only one on the planet (because you don’t get sympathy unless you TELL people your foot is broken), but here it is.

I made a strawberries and cream mug cake. Yes, a mug cake. No, it’s actually WORSE than it sounds.

I also did some mixology magic to make a Martha Stewart pink salty dog. Guess how that turned out. Go on, guess.

Then I gave you all my best packing tips, in honor of this here trip to the big apple.

On Teh Internets

CraftFail.com featured my strawberry asscakes v 2.0 on their NAILED IT section. That means I’m internet famous, y’all.

I also got some anonymous internet hate. I freaking live on that stuff.

What I Read

Beautiful Demons (Peachville High Demons #1) by Sarra Cannon - I read this in one day because I was so enthralled with it. Excellent story, intriguing premise. My only complaint? It ended too quick! I need more!

What I Watched

Last of the Dogmen – I had never seen this one before, and, despite the abysmally-bad-at-times script, it was not terrible. There was a dog, so that helped.

Benny and Joon – I think I was supposed to love Johnny Depp in this, but dude, Benny had it goin’ on.

Hugo – I thought it was sweet and beautiful. The other member of my viewing party thought it was boring and weird. I guess there’s no accounting for taste.

The Notebook – I am a Nicholas Sparks hater– teary overwrought tragedies are not my thing. But for some reason, I thought the movie might be better than the book. I was wrong. Same over-emotional, cheap-trick crap meant solely to make you cry. Spoiler: everybody dies. Blech.

Other Crap

The Case for Badassery

2012-04-13T20:03:57Z

I have long suspected that I am a badass. I received proof this week.

I’m not sure if I mentioned it here, but if you know me in real life, you have probably heard me say that my foot hurt a little sometime in the past 3 weeks. If you were in Iolanthe with me, you probably saw me sitting there with an icepack on my foot in the green room, dismissing concerned passers-by with a wave of my hand and saying something like, “Oh it’s nothing, just a little swollen.”

And then I went out and danced when I was supposed to dance.

I am in the green. Dancing like a badass.

You see, the week before, I had gone to Adobe Summit, which required a pretty intense walk/run through the Memphis airport on Tuesday, then a lot of standing until Friday. I wore sneakers the whole week because of the pain that started after my airport sprint, but that was my only concession to it. I walked and stood as required. And then I danced in a show when I got back, as mentioned above.

Well, my foot kept being swollen and ouchy. I wore high heels on Sunday and sang in a choir and made food for 15 people, and then I decided that wearing my pretty pink heels was not a good enough excuse for my foot to swell horribly for two days afterwards, so I went to the doctor.

She poked it and said, “Does this hurt?” and I valiantly did not kick her in the face. Then she sent me for an x-ray. When the x-ray technician says, “Oh crap! Doctor, you better look at this!” you know you’re in for a fun day.

Diagnosis: stress fracture. And the only cure is a sexy, sexy medical boot… which I did not get until I trucked across town to an orthopedist who poked my foot and said, “Does this hurt?” and whom I also did not kick even though I really wanted to.

I get to wear this beauty for at least 3 weeks. Be jealous.

But do you see why I am a badass now? I went to a conference, danced in a show, and did Easter Sunday with church and 15 people at my house with a broken foot.

I rest my case.

Different Busy

2012-04-11T16:56:55Z

Dudes, Iolanthe was a-freakin’-mazing. If you missed it, I’m sorry for you. Now that it’s over, my evenings have been filled with… well, I managed to fill them somehow. There was Easter music to learn and movies to watch and laundry to do and Day Job open houses to be hosted. So it’s not that I’m less busy now, just different busy, I guess.

Me as a fairy with feathers in Iolanthe

Here’s what I’ve been up to:

What I Wrote

I guess it’s moot now, but here are the top 10 reasons you should have come to see Iolanthe.

I made myself an Orange Julius and drank it out of the cup of Christ, for real.

And, for Easter, our resurrected savior’s name was taken in vain during the creation of deviled chicks.

What I Watched

Morning Glory– I thought I had seen Harrison Ford do a great old grouchy guy before. After all, I’ve seen Cowboys & Aliens. But herein he plays the best old grouchy guy ever. Super cute movie.

The Pirates of Penzance (the Kevin Kline version)– Holy 1980s. Kevin Kline was good. Skip the rest.

Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead– I ate a bag of Doritos while I watched this. Is that wrong? Anyway, I was not inspired to go buy a juicer and drink my meals for the next 60 days, but the story was good.

Real Steel– It was all I hoped it could be, which– let’s be honest– wasn’t much. But hey, Hugh Jackman and robots. It’s gotta be ok, right?

The Muppets– This one suffered from my very high hopes and my grouchiness the night I watched it. I didn’t like it. Mostly because it felt like the dumbest parts of Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Enchanted (both of which I liked, by the way) mooshed together in one entirely forgettable Muppet experience. Meh.

Footloose– As good as the original, maybe better. It stuck pretty close to the original story, just updated for the times, mostly. I liked the decisions they made with it, and Willard was just as lovable this time around.

Day Job

I wrote this.

Other Crap

Top 10 Reasons You Should Come See Iolanthe

2012-03-29T18:07:57Z

If you have been ignoring everything I say, tweet, Facebook post, pin, or blog for the past 3 months, there’s a small possibility that you may not know that I’m part of the chorus for this year’s Durham Savoyards production of Iolanthe (pronounced eye-oh-lahn-thee, if you were curious). If you live in the Durham-ish area, I would love for you to come see the show! And here are the reasons why you should:

10. It’s at the Carolina Theatre, a fun, historic venue in a cool part of downtown Durham, near lots of great restaurants and a big parking deck. It’s also newly renovated, so even if you’ve been there before, you’re in for a brand new treat. It looks amazing! New sound system, too!

9. You can choose from 4 different dates! The show runs Thursday (tonight!), Friday, and Saturday nights at 8:00 p.m. and Sunday at 2:00 p.m.

8. Tickets start at $10– that’s about the price of a movie! And if you’re gonna sit your butt down in a dark room and watch something, it might as well be a live orchestra and a stage full of brilliant actors, right?

7. The music is gorgeous. You don’t have to be familiar with opera, Gilbert & Sullivan, or really music in general to be able to appreciate it. I think the overture at the beginning is already worth the price of admission– it’s beautiful!

6. Steam! Punk! Fairies! (And I am one.)

5. It’s family friendly! There is a whole number choreographed especially with the kids in mind… see if you can figure out which one! (Hint: It involves butts.)

4. Multiple kick lines. I am not kidding.

3. You will feel terribly guilty if you don’t come because I have been working so hard. I haven’t been home for more than an hour a day when I am not unconscious for the past 3 days. Also, if you wait around in the lobby after the show, I will come out and talk to you and thank you profusely for coming to the show, and you will miss that if you don’t come.

2. For the grown-ups, the play is a political satire, all about the silliness of politics (and politicians), the power of love, and the right to marry whomever you please. Yes, it’s an old operetta, but it actually holds up really well!

1. It’s gonna be awesome! The orchestra is fantastic, the costumes are gorgeous, the lead actors are freaking amazing, and I promise you’ll love it.

Been Around the World

2012-03-26T18:50:18Z

Ok, I haven’t EXACTLY been all around the world this week, but I did go to Salt Lake City for Adobe Summit. And now I am tired.

The view from my hotel room in the two hours I was actually in it and not sleeping.

Here’s what’s been happening in my life other than that:

What I Wrote

I redid my closet. It actually is not a Pintester fail. Imagine that.

I bought an earring. My ear did not approve.

I made sunburned pork chops. Yeah, I don’t know either.

I had another hair fail. And also a rather inadvertent sweater fail. And I don’t care. I still like that sweater, and I’m going to wear it, damn it.

I made a really ugly tote bag with an anus. (If you don’t click that, I don’t know what’s wrong with you, for really real.)

I posted a 7-line excerpt of my current Work In Progress up on my Facebook page. Yeah, I could only work up the energy for 7 lines. Sorry.

On Teh Internets

I am now in an Atomic Reach tribe called Pinteresting Posts. I feel so primal.

Also, I am featured in this video, bumping Strephon’s cheek. Dirrrrty.

What I Read

Catching Fire (The Hunger Games #2) by Suzanne Collins. Enjoyed continuing the story from Hunger Games, but I thought the first book was more engaging and entertaining.

Mockingjay (The Hunger Games #3) by Suzanne Collins. A few people mentioned to me that they had a problem with the pace of this book, like it wrapped up too fast, but I didn’t think it did. I think maybe what’s going on is that this is such a sweeping story with huge implications way into the future that the story ended without a real, solid, everything-is-wrapped-up END. I think that’s how it had to be, though, in order to tell the story. I liked the series as a whole, but it was a little dark for my tastes, and not as uplifting as I was hoping it would be. Still, great story-telling and a wonderful, unique idea.

And, no, I haven’t seen the movie yet.

Other Crap

Iolanthe Preview

2012-03-19T13:16:40Z

If you look very carefully, you will see me in my cream-colored Princess Ida shirt, doing my little fairy dance and giving Strephon a quick cheek-bump. (Which cheek? You must watch to find out.)

Iolanthe
or, The Peer and the Peri

Performances will be March 29 – April 1, 2012:
Thursday (Preview Night), Friday, and Saturday March 29, 30, & 31, 8:00 PM
Sunday April 1, 2:00 PM (matinee)

IOLANTHE was written in the late 1800s, but the story is particularly appropriate for this election year. Although it concerns Britain’s Parliament, the rivalry between the two Houses applies equally well to our own Congress. Does the song phrase “they did nothing in particular and did it very well” sound familiar these days? To add to the fun and confusion, a band of fairies (in Victorian Steampunk garb) gets involved both in the political process and the private love lives of the politicians. There is comedy, song and dance, beautiful costumes, and a full orchestra.

Directed by: Derrick Ivey
Music direction by: Alan Riley Jones

Tickets for the performances will be available from a Durham Savoyards cast, staff, or orchestra member; by phone or in person from the Carolina Theatre; or from TicketMaster.

An Actual Closet Redo (Finally)

2012-02-27T01:39:00Z

The closet in the master bedroom was a little bit of a mess when we moved in, but not a big enough mess that we couldn’t hang clothes in it. So we hung clothes in it. Oh, I rearranged things a few times, but it mostly stayed the same after that. That was in 2005. I’ll give you a minute to do the math. Last weekend, we decided to do something about it.

Here’s what the closet looked like when we started:

Not the worst closet in the world, I grant you, but not the best either. I was working with one rack all the way around the top with one shelf above it. Three fourths of the clothes are my husband’s clothes. I don’t have much since I pared down.

The thing that really bothered me in there were the walls. They had shoddy patching of a bunch of holes from what I guess used to be a second level of hanging shelves. Not easy to see with the clothes in it, but still, an eyesore.

Now, I will tell you, there are many, many options for redoing closets. Most of them are very, very expensive. I am, if not cheap, at least budgetarily conscious, and while I really like, say, the Elfa system, I wasn’t willing to dish out the money for it. But I only came to this conclusion after years of off-and-on closet redo planning with every floorplan tool imaginable.

In the end, we decided to go with an Allen + Roth wood closet kit. I actually really like the look of these. There’s no track system like on the Elfa stuff (and lots of other options, like ClosetMaid), and I actually kind of like that because I don’t really like the look of tracks on the walls. It’s not as versatile, though, so you have to keep that in mind. You also have to be pretty handy to install one as it involves making cuts with a table saw.

I am notoriously not handy, so I wouldn’t have attempted installing this myself, even for the potential Pintester post. Not worth it. But, my husband was willing to tackle the task.

First, he took everything down, filled in all the holes (heh heh), and painted it a nice pale yellow (same color as our garage, because we had some extra paint). Then he measured and cut shelves and hanging rods and installed everything. It took two full weekends and some weeknights, but we’re done!

I’m super pleased with how this turned out. It looks much higher quality than what I was expecting for the price, and it works really well for the way we use our closet. We also took the opportunity to do a lot of paring down (not-so-much for me on clothes, since mine were pretty much at the minimum already), so we didn’t put nearly as much back in here as we had in here originally.

I’m proud of my canvas basket find:

These came from Target and they’re ginormous. Much bigger than the ClosetMaid ones, and they were on clearance at Target today for $6.99 a piece, same price as the ClosetMaid ones. Yay!

Here’s a better view of the middle tower.

We bought an extra set of shoe cubbies than what it came with. We’re shoe people.

This is my side.

Our closet’s a little weird-shaped, but the sides give just enough room for a little extra shelving and short hanging stuff.

And, here’s his side, newly sorted and purged.

So glad my stuff’s not spread out all over the bedroom floor anymore and that this is one project we can check off the Someday list.

I’m Not Dead Yet

2012-02-24T20:13:52Z

My absence here is mostly because of my not-absence everywhere else, so I’m going to give you a roadmap to follow so you can still find me, ok? Let’s go!

What I Wrote

I tried out a splatter manicure. It blew. Heh heh heh heh heh.

This pretty little martini turned out looking like a cup of grease. Because I’m amazing.

I am responsible for these blue balls.

I combined liquor and children’s candy. What could possibly go wrong?

Turns out that the way I make Martha Stewart’s pomegranate-champagne punch makes it taste like bug puke.

You can use tin foil to dispose of cooking grease. Unless you’re me.

And I attempted a hairstyle that made my hair look even stupider than usual. Quite a feat, I know.

On Teh Internets

I got a mention on a business blog about Pinterest. Yeah, I don’t know either. I’m probably the least business-like person I know, especially when it comes to Pinterest.

What I Read

“The French Maid” by Sabrina Jeffries. Loved it! Wonderful short story that really gave me a sense of both main characters. It was a quick, fun read and I really enjoyed it!

The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games #1) by Suzanne Collins. Holy poop, people. This is good stuff. If you are thinking that this book can’t be THAT great because it’s a Young Adult book, get over that right now. Intricate plotting, beautiful character development, and thought-provoking themes. I really enjoyed this.

Day Job

I wrote some pretty good stuff on the blog, if I do say so myself. Have a look-see.

Also, here is a super cool video (videography by me) of our CD, Matt, fishing (literally) a plastic bag out of a tree.

Other Crap

10 Things I’ve Learned from Ally McBeal

2012-01-27T23:17:33Z

No one is wiser than David E. Kelley, I’m pretty sure. Also, no one’s skirts are shorter than Ally McBeal’s. Here are 10 lessons I’ve learned from the show:

Any problem can be dealt with by walking slowly home from the office and playing a sad song (preferably sung by Vonda Shepard) in your head.
Weird is ok.
Don’t get too attached, because your favorite people will leave in creative ways (and only some of them because they got caught doing cocaine again and got fired off the show, ahem, Robert Downey, Jr.).
If you say something you don’t want someone to hear, chances are it will get back to them, and quickly. (Always check the bathroom stalls.)
Good hair earns you lots of points.
If you don’t happen to have good hair, money works, too.
Make your own kind of music– and then dance like no one’s watching. (Look at that: I can combine two awful cliches into a slightly less awful giant cliche.)
Some things get better with time (Renee’s boobs). Some things don’t (Ally’s hair– sorry honey).
If you find a nice man, check first to make sure that he’s not: married, the father of the other man you are dating, stupid, boring, a homeless man pretending to be a not-homeless man pretending to be a homeless man (get all that?), an obnoxious laugher, a sloppy eater, or a lawyer. Then you should be safe.
Nothing is more important than the people you love, and who love you back.

Here’s what I did this week when I wasn’t watching TV.

What I Wrote

I wrapped a bottle in yarn. No, I don’t know why.

I made my own watered down glue. Aren’t you proud of me?

Whilst genuinely trying to cook myself a nice breakfast, I inadvertently discovered the first marginally edible sponge.

Day Job

Two audits of landing pages, buddy. We looked at Shutterfly and Dollar.

Other Crap