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Alison Purnell is chasing that PhD! @14thcdisability.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

I get so mad about insulin pricing that I have a reaction image just for this.

Image is a sepia photograph of Sir Frederick Banting, who discovered insulin and sold the patent for one dollar so it would be available for everyone. He's a dapper middle-aged chap with round glasses, a pinstripe suit jacket, and a neat haircut. He looks out at the camera with his arms crossed. His eyes have been made to be glowing red, and red text at the bottom reads "It costs HOW much?"

Alison Purnell is chasing that PhD! @14thcdisability.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

I like to give a detailed description of what's being shown, often mixed with my personal perspective of what's going on and why it's relevant. As an example, from the current pinned post on my profile:

Image is a screenshot of an image with alt-text underneath. The alt-text reads:

Image is Jean Paul Laurens's painting "Pope Formosus and Stephen VI" (1870). It shows a skeletal corpse dressed in full papal robes sitting on a throne on a dais, while to its left there are a crowd of bishops and cardinals in a group, with one standing in front pointing angrily and accusingly at the fancy pope-corpse. There is a man in black standing behind the podium between the pointing man and the pope-corpse. It is dramatic and kind of hilarious.

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Alison Purnell is chasing that PhD! @14thcdisability.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

Adding a screenshot in case I decide to block later.

Image is a screenshot by bluesky user @nw6penguin.bsky.social, dated 4:35am on August 15th, 2026. It reads:

"The reactions to Ardays death show why this site is a bubble. Yes Cofcas is controversial but his accusations were substantiated by the guardian of all places. Arday was a publishing academic shown to be found wanting and as such should have been held accountable. That means by the press too."

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Alison Purnell is chasing that PhD! @14thcdisability.bsky.social · 09/08/2026

I am uncomfortable when we are not about me. If the zoo bans me from hollering at the animals, I will face god and walk backwards into hell. Been working on my summer bod, is like my regular bod but has more popsackles in it.

Image is a screenshot of a tweet by "Charlie" @_35millimetre, from 4:23am on August 8th, 2022. It reads: "Turns out the world's greatest drawing of a frog was done in 1790, by Ito Jakuchu." There is said picture, a Japanese black and white watercolour of a frog sitting in the foreground with a stylised lake and a few scattered trees in the background. It is kinda goofy looking, with huge eyes with tiny pupils staring into the middle distance, and a big arched frown as if baffled by existence. It IS possibly the world's greatest drawing of a frog.

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Alison Purnell is chasing that PhD! @14thcdisability.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

I keep getting this ad on my solitaire app. Probably caused by the country-only maps both the US and Canada use where anything beyond national borders is a generic void.

Image shows a clearly AI map of Canada and the US. Both countries' internal borders are approximately there, but there is a wide strip of land between them with no internal borders, labeled "UNITED sTATES". There is a Great Lakes system on the south Canada border AND between the erroneous "UNITED sTATES" and the actual US map. The effect is a surreal parfait with two America-Canada borders on either side of a hallucinatory no man's land.

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Alison Purnell is chasing that PhD! @14thcdisability.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

Someone with a better eye for insignia please tell me what I'm seeing here.

Image is a youtube still from the "Episcopal consecrations" (scare quotes very much intended) of the SSPX on 1 July 2026, taken shortly before the Gloria is recited. It shows the crowd of spectators camped out on the grass behind rope barriers. There's a lot of people but of particular note is one figure in the bottom right corner who appears to be wearing a red flag with a Reichsadler ("eagle of the reich") over his shoulders. It appears to be a white man with douchy sunglasses and a ponytail. There's a big pink arrow I drew pointing at him, in hopes that someone with a better eye for insignia can tell me exactly what's on that flag.

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Alison Purnell is chasing that PhD! @14thcdisability.bsky.social · 10/06/2026

Because being able to name the distinct parts is like being able to *see* them.

Image shows a cutaway drawing of gothic cathedral architecture, with diagram labels for all the various parts of the flying butress. The tall pointy bit on the outside is circled because I was referring to that bit at the time I saved the image. I'm extremely sorry, I am not an architect and I don't have the vocabulary to explain all the labels in the image.

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Alison Purnell is chasing that PhD! @14thcdisability.bsky.social · 04/06/2026

For anyone who purchases this, I have the best reference pic for you!

Image shows a cut-away line drawing of gothic cathedral construction with labels for the various architectural features.

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Alison Purnell is chasing that PhD! @14thcdisability.bsky.social · 09/05/2026

University of York wants to play i.pinimg.com/736x/82/2d/f...

Picture shows a building that looks a lot like a concrete spaceship squatting on a dingy pond.

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Alison Purnell is chasing that PhD! @14thcdisability.bsky.social · 09/05/2026

Give me your favourite Non-Trek performance from a Star Trek actor. Can't remember the place I read it, but I have been told this is one of his own favourite non-Trek roles!

The image shows Sir Patrick Stewart in full Early Modern Shakespearean garb, declaiming "B Or Not a B" on Sesame Street. His outfit is shades of black velvet, with full, puffed sleeves and white ruffles at his wrists and collar. He's holding a 6 inch tall capital B made of yellow foam or something in his left hand, arm stretched out in front of him. He is in full orator mode, you can practically hear him rolling those deep rich Rs as he teaches preschoolers how to identify B, or NOT a B? The background is a darker shade of sky blue.

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Alison Purnell is chasing that PhD! @14thcdisability.bsky.social · 28/04/2026

Without downloading anything new, where are you, mentally?

Image shows a simple illustration of a noble-looking grey mouse in chain and plate mail and a long red cloak. It is standing and holding its sword, point-down, by the golden hilt. It is looking into the distance. There are a couple sparkle outlines around it. The caption says "i'm burnt out m'lord". The watermark is for @caitlynmarieprints, platform unspecified.

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Alison Purnell is chasing that PhD! @14thcdisability.bsky.social · 23/04/2026

Advisor and I made a genuine textual discovery during the writing of this, but alas the editor of the next volume of the Expositio had already noticed it! (Okay it was Advisor who spotted it but he insisted on sharing credit since it was during and because of my project.)

Image shows an old spiral-bound senior honours essay with the title "An Analysis of the Usage of Hermes Trismegistus in the 'Expositio super elementationem theologicam procli' of Berthold von Moosburg".

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Alison Purnell is chasing that PhD! @14thcdisability.bsky.social · 18/04/2026

Marry someone who's the same flavour of weird as you.

Image shows a short exchange of messages on Discord.
Wife: Ubi canes calides sunt?
@14thCdisability: Lmao. Left drawer.
Wife: Thanks
@14thCdisability: Cachinnans in culo meo
@14thCdisability: Did I just spend the past 6 minutes looking up how to translate LMAO? Yes

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Alison Purnell is chasing that PhD! @14thcdisability.bsky.social · 15/04/2026

Sit your fool ass down you theologically illeterate newbie convert. Your RCIA director regrets ever nominating you as a confirmandus. Get fucked and I hope Leo excommunicates your heretical ass.

Image is a news headline and subheading. It reads: "Vance Says the Pope Should Be More Careful When Talking About Theology. The vice president, who is Catholic, took issue with Pope Leo XIV's statement that disciples of Christ are 'never on the side of those who once wielded the sword and today drop bombs.'"

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Alison Purnell is chasing that PhD! @14thcdisability.bsky.social · 24/03/2026

Here is what Google Translate makes of those four text sequences. It mistranslates the last sequence because it is prioritising word order (syntax) over the inflected endings. It also doesn't really seem to know what to do about Latin's lack of articles (the/a).

Image is a screenshot of the previous tweet's four sentences put into Google Translate. The output reads:
Boys give roses to girls.
Boys give roses to girls.
Boys give roses to girls.
Girls give roses to boys.

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Alison Purnell is chasing that PhD! @14thcdisability.bsky.social · 19/02/2026

As passive-aggressive notes go, building a whole fucking castle is pretty next-level.

Picture is of an antique telegram message from Western Union Telegram on yellow paper. It reads "Fuck you. Strong letter to follow."

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Alison Purnell is chasing that PhD! @14thcdisability.bsky.social · 10/02/2026

SOMEBODY SHOT THE GENERAL 😱 (Source: www.harkavagrant.com/index.php?id...)

Image is a comic strip from Kate Beaton's "Hark! A Vagrant!". There are 6 panels.
Panel 1: "Near Queenston, 1812". A close-up of General Brock is looking through a telescope. He says "The Americans have advanced too far".
Panel 2: Brock looks far too confident. He says "We must CHARGE them". An advisor asks "Who shall I give the order to?"
Panel 3: Off-panel, Brock answers "I'll lead it myself". The advisor, looking dubious, asks "General Brock, I... Aren't you a bit of an easy target for leading a charge?"
Panel 4: Brock, in full shiny uniform, asks "What do you MEAN".
Panel 5: A distance shot of the two men. The advisor says "Nothing. How silly of me". Brock brandishes a sword and says "Seriously. Need I remind you who is in charge here!"
Panel 6: AND SO. A scout appears, looking distraught, to report to the advisor. The advisor is deeply unimpressed. "Terrible news!" says the scout. The advisor asks "Did somebody shoot the general?" "SOMEBODY SHOT THE GENERAL!"

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Alison Purnell is chasing that PhD! @14thcdisability.bsky.social · 09/02/2026

I find myself smack in the middle of... "Swedish Progressive Professionals" and "British Railway Enthusiasts". So who tf even knows! 😂

Picture shows a snapshot from a zoomed in portion of the galaxy map shared by the original poster, of my place on the map. There is a large cluster to the right of my mark labelled "Swedish Professional Progressives", while to the left of me is a smaller cluster (but still larger than anything else proximal) labelled "British Railway Enthusiasts".

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Alison Purnell is chasing that PhD! @14thcdisability.bsky.social · 05/02/2026

That facepalm feeling when you spot an egregious [fill this in later] comment in the article you submitted for review a couple months ago.

Image shows a white cuecard on a wooden desk, in close focus. On the cuecard is written "Pain. Agony, even." in impeccable calligraphy. Image is from @theshitpostcalligrapher

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Alison Purnell is chasing that PhD! @14thcdisability.bsky.social · 04/02/2026

Today I'm sitting in my gothic vibes smoking chair, with a mug of tea at my side, Thomas Hoccleve in my word processor, and Into Great Silence on the tv to keep me company. Oh, and a soft and chubby cat. It's a good day.

Image shows a sleeping grey and white tabby cat. She is curled up peacefully on a brown couch with a large bright purple cushion behind her. Her little foot is tucked under her chin, and she hasn't even realised I'm taking a picture of her.

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Alison Purnell is chasing that PhD! @14thcdisability.bsky.social · 25/01/2026

Formosus, by the way, picked one hell of a papal name.

Photo is of white text on dark background. It is a Latin-English dictionary entry for "formosus". The translation reads: "adjective, nominative singular masculine; beautiful, finely formed, handsome, fair, having a fine appearance/form".

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Alison Purnell is chasing that PhD! @14thcdisability.bsky.social · 25/01/2026

We need some levity in these days. Join me for the story of when the Catholic Church put a corpse on trial for heresy. aka You think slandering your political predecessors is ridiculous now aka I don't care if he's dead, he can still stand trial

Image is Jean Paul Laurens's painting "Pope Formosus and Stephen VI" (1870). It shows a skeletal corpse dressed in full papal robes sitting on a throne on a dais, while to its left there are a crowd of bishops and cardinals in a group, with one standing in front pointing angrily and accusingly at the fancy pope-corpse. There is a man in black standing behind the podium between the pointing man and the pope-corpse. It is dramatic and kind of hilarious.

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Alison Purnell is chasing that PhD! @14thcdisability.bsky.social · 22/02/2025

I've been a big hit on the chemo ward, so I should thank you for that inspiration too!

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Alison Purnell is chasing that PhD! @14thcdisability.bsky.social · 02/11/2023

GAME CHANGER: using the ends of a post-it as temporary tape to keep the string in place while I lay more down

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Alison Purnell is chasing that PhD! @14thcdisability.bsky.social · 21/10/2023

I learned a new word last night while consulting my Lewis & Short Latin dictionary for my parchmentgate write-up. New favourite word!

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Alison Purnell is chasing that PhD! @14thcdisability.bsky.social · 20/10/2023

Poor Brother Rose, I hope we see him in the fifth visitation.

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Alison Purnell is chasing that PhD! @14thcdisability.bsky.social · 19/10/2023

Travel on foot from Liddington to Bardney? Slightly over two day's walk, IF you don't stop to eat or sleep.

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Alison Purnell is chasing that PhD! @14thcdisability.bsky.social · 16/10/2023

Already started on the fourth visitation. It's just too good.

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Alison Purnell is chasing that PhD! @14thcdisability.bsky.social · 15/10/2023

"Brother Tomas Bartone is the principal author and abettor of all the premises, etc."

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Alison Purnell is chasing that PhD! @14thcdisability.bsky.social · 15/10/2023

Honestly what with the OTHER nonsense going on at the abbey, I don't blame them for being wary about allowing Our Bartone to be associated with the monastery.

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Alison Purnell is chasing that PhD! @14thcdisability.bsky.social · 15/10/2023

Well, after Brother Alan the New Guy gets voluntold for a world of headache as Abbot W's coadjutor and everyone swears to listen to him, all the brothers leave the room save for Abbot W, New Guy Alan, John Bracy, and William Waynflete the sub-prior.

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Alison Purnell is chasing that PhD! @14thcdisability.bsky.social · 15/10/2023

And now, what we've all been waiting for. That's right. 𝕺𝖚𝖗 𝕭𝖆𝖗𝖙𝖔𝖓𝖊.

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Alison Purnell is chasing that PhD! @14thcdisability.bsky.social · 15/10/2023

Kudos to Brothers Rose, Sallowe, Lincoln, Elkyngtone, Bekeryng, Croyland, and Hawton, the collected Brothers Not Appearing In This Visitation. Look at those smug bastards. Still, I suppose they deserve to be smug, having avoided Being Involved in this one.

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Alison Purnell is chasing that PhD! @14thcdisability.bsky.social · 15/10/2023

It's really kind of nice, Alnwick asks Abbot Waynflete if he'd like to suggest a suitable monk to be his coadjutor. In an unexpected move, he doesn't suggest Our Bartone. The abbot volunteers Prior Alan Kirketone, a recent addition to Bardney from Spalding Priory.

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Alison Purnell is chasing that PhD! @14thcdisability.bsky.social · 15/10/2023

1. The monks are not obedient to the abbot. 2. For this cause there is great disorder in the monastery. 3. The abbot by his sore infirmities has become so powerless that he cannot govern himself or the abbey in matters both temporal and spiritual.

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