What a wonderful world
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monique99.bsky.social
What a wonderful world
@monique99.bsky.social
230 followers 290 following 240 posts
Trying to focus on the positive. ❤️🌍🕊️🌈☀️🏝️🌺🪇

Science! 🧬🔬🌊🐙🌱🪺🐣🥐🍷📚💡💉📱✈️ 🧠🪐✨

❤️ Kindness ❤️
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monique99.bsky.social
Heard great things about The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Daniel James Brown. (Full disclosure: I was on crew team at university so may be a little biased!)
Book cover for The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Daniel James Brown. Cover shows the silhouette of an 8-man rowing boat with a golden sunset reflected in the water
November 20, 2025 at 12:26 AM
monique99.bsky.social
Also the Maus tales by Art Spiegelman, about the Holocaust
Book cover for Maus by Art Spiegelman. “Winner of the Pulitzer Prize”. Graphic of a stylized cat head over a Nazi symbol in front of a white disc (moon?), looming behind two frightened mice wearing trench coats
November 20, 2025 at 12:06 AM
monique99.bsky.social
How about graphically-illustrated history? Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi, about growing up in Iran during the revolution. Excellent!
Book cover for Persepolis, The Story of a Childhood, by Marjane Satrapi. Shows a drawing of a young girl wearing a headscarf and sitting at a table with arms crossed, centered in a red background with a spiky border around her as well as around the edge of the book cover
November 20, 2025 at 12:06 AM
monique99.bsky.social
Why I ❤️ Pope Leo, Reason #3:

Leo’s “on a mission from God,” (quote from the film The Blues Brothers)

www.thetimes.com/world/europe...
Pope Leo as young man dressed as a Blues Brother with sunglasses and black fedora
November 15, 2025 at 1:33 AM
monique99.bsky.social
Post-protest sunset walk along cliffs near Half Moon Bay CA 🙂
Sunset with sun near horizon Cliffs by the sea with pink glow from sunset Tunnel of trees, light bleached trees on left, dark trees on right
October 19, 2025 at 2:17 AM
monique99.bsky.social
Mountain View CA shows up yet again!!
🪧🐸📣
#NoKings
Protester with sign stating “No Kings in America since 1776” Protesters with signs and American flags. One sign states “Hell No to Dictatorship”; another states “Patriots Protect the Constitution” Protester with sign of an image of a black cat kicking a pumpkin head with swoop of blond hair and a crown, and underneath states “Nope” Protester with a sign stating “the Power of the People is Stronger than the People in Power” with bottom row of flowers
October 18, 2025 at 10:00 PM
monique99.bsky.social
I heard you! Did not feel in South Bay BTW
US Geological Survey map marking recent earthquake near Berkeley, with insert box stating it was M (magnitude) 3.1 and 2 kilometers east of Berkeley CA at 9:23:45 on 2025-10-16
October 16, 2025 at 5:35 PM
monique99.bsky.social
Forgetting sign left me hands-free to lend energy 👋 💪 to signs of family friends and former neighbors who came despite mobility issues and ~15 miles distance 🪧
Three smiling older-women protesters on sidewalk. Two are seated due to mobility issues (including due to being cancer survivor) yet still came. One holds sign that reads “Honk if you’re not in the Epstein files”. Another holds a sign that reads “Keep your grubby greedy hands off Medicare, Medicaid & Social Security”. Third stands behind the two with tote for Resistance Summer School. A small American flag appears in frame (from other protestor (who is out of frame)
September 2, 2025 at 4:46 PM
monique99.bsky.social
And went back to see Emma, based on Jane Austen but with a few modern twists including breaking the fourth wall—charming and funny!

Extra fun: besides being in a redwood glen—they did a book swap! But since the last weekend, no swapping necessary—just take a book! Picked up the Canterbury Tales ❤️📚
Final bow by cast dressed in Edwardian style on a stage set of a drawing room with flowers and chandeliers
September 2, 2025 at 3:51 AM
monique99.bsky.social
Final bow at Richard III with a production that flipped Shakespeare’s traditional all-male cast
Curtain call of gangster-themed cast of Richard III by Shakespeare. Entire cast is on stage to take a bow in front of audience. Some low cubby shelves in background have a gold crown in each cubby
September 2, 2025 at 3:51 AM
monique99.bsky.social
Mountain View, California showing up for 17x17K rally on Labor Day along El Camino Real! Forgot my sign but at least had my new tote from #ResistanceSummerSchool
#WeMove2025
Protesters lining the street holding signs and U.S. flags. One signs says “I’ll take my democracy neat, no ice”. Another sign says “Faux-King Joke” with picture of Trump wearing a crown and clown nose. Person in front holds tote that says “Resistance Summer School” and wearing T-shirt that says “All Rise” with image of bird, representing the play/book “To Kill a Mockingbird”
September 1, 2025 at 9:06 PM
monique99.bsky.social
Had a bit of summer night magic with SV Shakespeare. Words by a deceitful king eerily relatable, hundreds of years later:

“… alas, I rather hate myself
For hateful deeds committed by myself! ….
I shall despair. There is no creature loves me;
And if I die no soul will pity me”
(Richard III)
Nighttime at a bridge lined with small lights and banners, leading through a forest to a glen with a distant stage and tall trees lit with purple light
September 1, 2025 at 8:46 PM
monique99.bsky.social
Sticker for “Resistance Summer School” with a shield enclosing the symbol of a resisting raised fist, a book, and an old-fashioned fountain pen, surrounded by olive branches and the saying “A Luta Continua”. Text and images in gold ink on a white background
August 29, 2025 at 1:02 AM
monique99.bsky.social
So, now it’s turn it off?!? 🧐
But before it was turn it on? 🤷‍♀️

California has one of the most complex water systems in the world. 🤓 It’s actually quite a marvel! 💦 🌾
Map of CALIFORNIA WATERWAYS showing state of California with illustrations for the following LEGEND: • Natural Lake / River • California State Water Project (SWP) (Reservoir / Aqueduct / Pipeline) • Federal and Local Water Projects (Reservoir / Aqueduct or Canal / Pipeline) • State / Federal Joint Use (Reservoir / Aqueduct) • Feather River Fish Hatchery, Oroville • John E. Skinner Delta Fish Protective Facility, Byron • State Water Project Visitors Facilities • Cities • Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta region “Most of California's natural waterways like rivers, lakes, and streams are located in the northern one-third of the state. Yet 80% of the water demand comes from the southern two-thirds. Some communities rely on natural surface water. Others use wells or pumps to access groundwater. Still others depend on complex water systems built during the 20th century. These "water projects" store and transport water across the state. The State Water Project (SWP) is the largest of the projects. Over 27 million people receive part of their water supply from the SWP. Most live in Southern California. Others live in the San Francisco Bay Area, San Joaquin Valley, or along the Central Coast. The SWP also helps to irrigate about 750,000 acres of farmland. Some project reservoirs provide flood protection or water to generate hydroelectricity. Reservoirs also provide recreation like boating and fishing. Whether natural or human-made, California's waterways are important. They drive our economy. They support our environment. Most significantly, they're an essential part of our daily life.
August 26, 2025 at 11:40 PM
monique99.bsky.social
Recently stumbled across an intriguing exhibit—“Untold Histories / Hidden Truths” by Mildred Howard—at Fort Point National Historic Site in San Francisco: three larger-than-life, red-draped statues of historical slaver owners which were toppled in Golden Gate Park after the murder of George Floyd:
Three red-draped statues, each in arched opening on third floor of historic brick fort, overlooking a large courtyard Three red-draped statues in arched passageway of historical brick fort Excerpt of first half of sign: Mildred Howard (b. 1945, San Francisco) Untold Histories / Hidden Truths Mildred Howard's Untold Histories / Hidden Truths drapes statues of Peter Burnett, William Gwin, and Francis Scott Key in striking red fabric to prompt a reckoning with the legacies of White supremacy embedded in our public monuments. Once celebrated for their achievements, all three were slave owners who wielded their influence to uphold racial oppression. Informed by the toppling of statues in Golden Gate Park following the murder of George Floyd, Howard obscures these figures in a color associated with urgency and resistance, compelling viewers to confront what history has chosen to remember and what it has sought to erase. Francis Scott Key (1779-1843), writer of "The Star-Spangled Banner," not only enslaved people, but used his legal career to suppress abolitionists and represent the owners of runaway slaves. The national anthem's famous lyrics celebrating "the land of the free" stand in sharp contrast to Key's efforts to uphold bondage. Peter Burnett (1807-1895), California's first elected governor, sought to establish a White-only state, advocating brutal and exclusionary policies that targeted Black, Chinese, and Indigenous populations. William Gwin (1805-1885), one of California's first senators, was a staunch Confederate sympathizer who sought to expand slavery into California, aligning himself with the Southern plantation elite. Howard's use of draped fabric is a gesture of both concealment and revelation. By covering these sculptures, she challenges their ability to confer honor on their subjects, yet in doing so, she also brings attention to histories that have been obfuscated or omitted from mainstream narratives. Ultimately, Untold Histories / Hidden Truths calls on us to reconsider who we choose to commemorate and why… QR code link: https://www.for-site.org/black-gold-stories-untold
August 17, 2025 at 8:24 PM
monique99.bsky.social
So what’s the good news out of DC? That violent crimes are at a 30-year low!

(Data from Metropolitan Police as published in NYTimes; gift article: www.nytimes.com/2025/08/11/u...)
Graph of 2011-2025 Jan-Aug data by year from Metropolitan Police Department illustrating overall declining trend in violent crime; within years in graph, data drops by half. (Assume partial timeframe used for comparison in current year.)
August 11, 2025 at 11:47 PM
monique99.bsky.social
It was their 30th anniversary! (Been going since about 20th). And since “Pacific Islands” it’s more than Hawaii. Low-key, local, and love it! www.pica-org.org
Flyer for Bay Area Aloha Festival in San Mateo CA
August 11, 2025 at 5:26 PM
monique99.bsky.social
Recharged to face the week thanks to spam musubi, cream-topped shave ice, and aloha spirit at the Bay Area Aloha Festival by the Pacific Islanders Cultural Association. (As close as one can get to the islands from the mainland, literally and figuratively!)
Two women dancing with arms extended, wearing green and dark gold colored Tahitian-inspired costumes including green fronds and a white orchid-like flower in their hair A group of festival attendees, including an older woman in a long tropical floral dress, are led in a Hawaiian dance by two women—one wearing a costume of an orange and green tropical-patterned top with a long bright orange skirt along with a lei and a haku lei (floral crown) of large white tropical flowers, and the other woman in a casual tropical blouse, jean shorts, also a white-flowered lei and and large white flower in her hair One of the dance teachers in the public dance highlighting her tropical floral outfit Three dancers performing a Hawaiian dance with right arm raised in the air, left arm on hip, smiling and looking to their upper right, wearing matching outfits of green and red patterned skirts, red blouse, white floral lei, and a white flower in their hair behind their left ear
August 11, 2025 at 4:59 PM
monique99.bsky.social
The cafe at the De Young Museum in San Francisco had desserts inspired by the current exhibit of paintings by Wayne Thiebaud. Life is often art! www.famsf.org/exhibitions/...
Photo of display case of individual desserts in a range of colors Painting by Wayne Thiebaud of display of various colorful cakes and pies Photo of individual dessert that looks a shiny bright green ball resting on a cookie base with a little white sugar flower on top Highlight from the painting of many desserts that shows a single cake with pink ribbed frosting and a cherry on top
August 10, 2025 at 8:21 AM
monique99.bsky.social
Santa Cruz shows up today for some “Good Trouble!”
Protestors with signs that say “Resist Project 2025,” “Never ever be afraid to make some noise and get in good trouble - necessary trouble” (with photo of John Lewis), and “We the people” Protest sign with mean-faced pile of poop with horns, with full red background Smiling protestors with signs, two of which say “Good Trouble” and one says “No to fascism” Woman in a full Wonder Woman costume at protest, with a nearby “No Kings” protest sign
July 18, 2025 at 3:32 AM
monique99.bsky.social
Taking a break from news…found a hummingbird nest and perhaps one its recent occupants nearby. (Has “fluffy look so assume it’s a young one.)
Small hummingbird nest in an apricot tree Close-up of hummingbird nest in apricot tree Young hummingbird perched on branch of an apricot tree silhouetted against distant mountains
June 22, 2025 at 4:16 AM
monique99.bsky.social
Apricots are ripe for picking which means Happy Summer!!
Basket of freshly picked apricots with apricot orchard in background
June 21, 2025 at 1:16 AM
monique99.bsky.social
Mountain View, California shows up again!!! The planned 7x7 event (7000 people along 7 miles) had about 3x as many people show up!
#nokings #nokingsday #maddow
One protester holds a sign with a crown melting in the rain with a rainbow underneath protecting a group of people, under which it reads: “ We the People…”. Another protester holds a sign with an orange head with swoosh of yellow hair and an askew crown with a giant red circle and slash overlaid and text underneath stating “since 1776” Protesters along a street waving flags and holding signs stating: No Kings - Due Process is for Everyone; HONK IF YOU’RE TIRED OF THIS SHIT; and Men of Quality Do Not Fear Equality A protester is dressed as Lady Liberty in bondage with blindfold and holds a helium balloon of Baby Trump in a diaper. A protester next to her is dressed as Uncle Sam who holds a sign stating “Not a Paid Protester” Three protesters hold decorated signs stating No Kings.
June 15, 2025 at 1:16 PM
monique99.bsky.social
Also in blue tones!
June 10, 2025 at 10:40 PM
monique99.bsky.social
Happy Pride Month from San Francisco!
San Francisco’s domed city hall lit up in bright rainbow colors
June 10, 2025 at 10:38 PM