Tag: san francisco

January 2024 in San Francisco: Art, Movies and Rain

Alina H. Hansen Writer & Poet

Hello there,

The weather has been wet and stormy in San Francisco and this week there was a downpour on the 3rd that I got stuck in.

I’ve been away for a while, but I wanted to touchbase and see how you’re all doing. What have I been up to?

The Happy Poet Studio

Since November, I’ve been working on my Etsy shop, which features some of my original art and creative Canva designs.

I desire to design hoodies, t-shirts, notebooks, and bags. These are the things I use the most in the my daily life, and these are things that bring me joy.

For the past few weeks, when I’m not drawing I’m creating pins for my Pinterest or buying a bag of donuts.

Watching Movies

About once a week, I’ve been going to a movie. I have an AMC pass so I like to take advantage of my 3-movies-a-week membership.

My Top 3 Fav Movies I’ve seen recently are:

–Poor Things
5/5 My Kinda Humor, My Kinda Story

–The Boy and the Heron
5/5 Stars, Amazing

–The Iron Claw
4/5 Stars, Good but depressing

iPad Air (5th Gen) and Adobe Fresco

In December, I decided to push my boundaries and I got and iPad Air. I have a cozy apartment so there is limited space for art supplies and I’ve been getting the itch lately to create so this was the perfect fit.

I’m spending about 30 minutes to an hour every day drawing and painting in Adobe Fresco on the iPad Air and it’s a load of fun.

The textures look real, the water colors are amazing, and the charcoals are fabulous. Below is a painting I did inspired by Bob Ross’s “Winter Russet.” I worked alongside the YouTube video of the episode which helped a ton.

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/288582288637735623/

What am I reading?

Axe Handles by Gary Snyder. This collection of poems is crisp. Snyder is one of my top favorite poets and whenever I come across poems of his I haven’t read, I need to immediately chew and consume them.

Music?

My December Spotify playlist is meager (understatement) and I’m working on my January 2024 list already. My goal is to hit around 25 songs and see if there’s an underlying theme/mood to it.

I try to build my playlists to reflect my mood during that month and I have over 3 years of playlists now, so it’s nice to have an soundtrack journal of the past.

What’s Next?

I’m writing a lot still and aiming for about 30,000 words a month. I’ve got poetry on my mind and a few short stories I’m playing with and of course there’s my half-finished novel and then that finished novel I still need to edit to completion (for the 10th time, I swear).

There isn’t enough time to do all the things I wanna do, but I’m gonna try.

Signing off,
Alina
The Happy Poet

NaNoWriMo23: End of Week Three

Alina H. Hansen Writer & Poet

The city is taking down the fences and blockades for APEC, and I’m relieved. The past week there was an undercurrent of tension pulsing through the city (huge understatement). We all need a break, some space, and just a moment to take a breath.

This week I wrote here and there and tried to read as much as possible. I’m still reading Kingdom of the Cursed and just got my copy of Daughter of The Moon Goddess (I’ve been waiting months for a copy through my library!).

Today, my goal is to write another chapter of my NaNoWriMo project and hopefully squeeze in a couple of hours of reading. I’ve been thinking more about writing poetry and have some images in mind that I want to explore; a blend of natural elements and usual existential crises so I may jot down a few ideas later too.

I’m also going to watch The Killer with my partner (hopefully tonight) and, if possible, play a bit of Hogwarts Legacy – I’m nearly level 37 and curious how I get my hands on Merlin’s robe.

What are you reading? Are you working on a writing project for NaNoWriMo? Leave a comment below. I want to hear from you.

Thank you for reading!

Creature in the Forest (Part 6)

Alina H. Hansen Writer & Poet

I’m hungry.

The men have been scouring the woods for five days. I’ve stayed hidden, climbing up into the trees when needed. They stink and their clothes and boots are loud when they move.

I watch them, trying not to breath, they are ruining my forest. They have scared all the other animals away while they look for that man wedged in the rocks.

I think about leading them to him, I think about eating them, but both ideas make my stomach turn.

I want them to leave so I don’t have to flee to the north where it is so cold and there isn’t as much food. I don’t want to have to sleep for years again when the weather is bad.

I will wait.

Creature in the Forest (Part 5)

Alina H. Hansen Writer & Poet

-8 Months Later-

I’m drinking from the belly of a doe I just tore up. I like chewing on the fleshy parts just underneath the fur, it is elastic and keeps me preoccupied. The aroma of blood, the dissipating essence of death has already left her.

In the distance, I hear a growl. Not from an animal but something else. Something I had forgotten. There is a grinding and a roar, it’s getting closer.

I rip some meat off the doe’s thigh and run toward my shelter about a mile away.

It’s trucks.

A whopping sound above belonging to a bulbous metal thing, the blades spin in a circle, keeping it afloat. Helicopter, that’s right. They had those in the city.

The men used them to hunt for other men.

They must be looking for the body I left in the boulders. I had forgotten all about it.

Creature in the Forest (Part 4)

Alina H. Hansen Writer & Poet

I picked up his body and hauled him deeper into the woods. I can smell his blood still, it’s left a trail I’m sure the cougar and maybe a wandering bear will pick it up soon.

I threw him in between the crevices along the jagged boulders that line the river heading north where there is snow year-round, where there aren’t any men, no humans up there. It will take a while before he is picked clean by the things that live in the rocks but it is a good place for him.

If anyone comes looking for him, it will be difficult to get him out, whatever is left. Giving me time to flee if needed even though I don’t want to leave my home. The forest has been my home for so many seasons, I’ve forgotten how many.

When did I first wander up here?