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Aven

@avensarah.bsky.social
1.2K followers 462 following 1.8K posts

Roman poetry & culture | Endless Knot Podcast & YT alliterative.net | 🇨🇦Fed govt, former prof | She/her | circumsiliens modo huc modo illuc, pipio

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Aven @avensarah.bsky.social · 4h
The surprisingly connected origins of "swarm" and "absurd". #etymology #wordnerd #linguistics #HistoricalLinguistics #language #words #lingcomm #swarm #absurd youtube.com/shorts/l6iae...
youtube.com
Swarm/Absurd #Etymology
YouTube video by Alliterative
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The Biking Lawyer LLP @thebikinglawyer.bsky.social · 6h
"We get lots of patients who unfortunately have been struck by cars or had a crash because of unsafe road infrastructure, because of potholes, damage, or obstructed bike lanes" @edwardxie.bsky.social #DoctorsforSafeCycling www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
cbc.ca
Ontario health-care coalition denounces province's plan to remove bike lanes across Toronto | CBC News
A coalition of Ontario health-care workers gathered in downtown Toronto on Tuesday to denounce the provincial government’s plan to remove bike lanes on three major roadways across the city.
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Tuija Ainonen @tainonen.bsky.social · 10h
2nd day of #Skin2Script workshop with @crasshlive.bsky.social about to start Checking how drying has progressed - various results. Next pushing on with sanding, scraping & finishing touches
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Aven @avensarah.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Listening to the last game of the #Bluejays season. I only realised this year that I’m the same age as the team, even though I’ve been following them as long as I can remember. It’s added an extra layer of fun to listening to the games this summer—love this team even when things don’t go great. 🩵💙
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Aven @avensarah.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
#SundayPixSolitude Though there are other cottages up at our lake, on a quiet weekend it can feel like I’m completely alone with the woods. Even the mosquitoes don’t ruin it.
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Aven @avensarah.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
A bonus of not buying US produce any more. 😬
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Dave Edwards @realdaveedwards.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Sunday Pixies - it’s Saturday here and we’re still travelling with Antipodean WiFi so I’m posting an early theme. #SundayPix this week is #SundayPixSolitude So if you find you’re on a planet in a big universe, or an empty beach or the only lady on a teapot, show us what solitude means to you.
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Aven @avensarah.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
@flossietp.bsky.social Happy birthday! 🎈🎉🎂🎊 I hope you have a day as fabulous as you are. ❤️
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Ben Zimmer @handle.invalid · 23/09/2026
Come join the livestream for the Grammarpalooza Game Show, celebrating 20 years of @grammargirl.bsky.social's podcast! Thurs. 9/24 at 8 pm EST, w/ @emilymoyers.bsky.social + Kyle Imperatore + me vs. @jesszafarris.com + @valeriefridland.bsky.social + Gabe Henry. www.quickanddirtytips.com/ggliveevent/
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Aven @avensarah.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
The surprisingly connected origins of "hippopotamus" and "appetite". #etymology #wordnerd #linguistics #HistoricalLinguistics #language #words #lingcomm #hippo #hippopotamus #appetite youtube.com/shorts/1S6B5...
youtube.com
Hippopotamus/Appetite #Etymology
YouTube video by Alliterative
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U of T Centre for Medieval Studies @uoftcms.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
It is with sadness that we announce the passing of CMS Alumna, Mary Catherine Davidson, a revered historian of the English language. www.medieval.utoronto.ca/news/memoria...
two cherubs
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Ancient History 101 Podcast @ancienthistory101.org · 22/09/2026
Stay tuned: tomorrow is (part 1 of) the Grand Finale of Series/Season 1! We've cooked up a real treat, with something not attempted in podcasting until now: A roundtable on Boudica with a museum curator or archaeologist from each of the 3 cities Boudica destroyed - Colchester, London and St Albans!
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Jen @prairiesponge.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Q. Does Knitty use AI? A. Knitty magazine staff do not use AI and never will. The designers who publish their work in Knitty have also agreed not to use AI in their patterns, photos, and articles. Knitty is 100% produced by humans.
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Aven @avensarah.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
So cool, I love that they’re still playing and still in the community! Love these guys!
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Word Family Friday @wordfamilyfriday.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
I had to graph these connections out to follow along!
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knitty® | editor, Amy Sadler @knitty.com · 15/06/2026
Brand new First Fall 2026 Knitty is live for the whole world!⁠ A fully online magazine full of tech-edited FREE PATTERNS for you to enjoy! Go to knitty.com, and find your next knit! 🧶 #ShareAndEnjoy #GladToBeOfService
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Aven @avensarah.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
A reminder that the wonderful online magazine KNITTY is free and founded and edited in Canada. And definitely has real people doing real design! knitty.com
knitty.com
Knitty.com - Deep Fall 2026
Knitty is the longest-running free knitting magazine on the web. Enjoy our huge selection of high-quality free knitting patterns and tutorials!
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Aven @avensarah.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
I passed a little bird clinging to the stonework of a building just a foot off the ground on my walk at lunch. Not sure if it was exhausted from migrating or cold and trying to warm up in the sun (it was only 13°C even at noon today) but it wasn’t moving at all. My app says it’s a Tennessee Warbler.
A small songbird, olive back and lighter yellow breast, against a rough stone block on the sun. The same bird in a wider shot, showing that it’s only about a foot above the gravel and just below a window well.
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Aven @avensarah.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
I’m listening to a Quirks & Quarks interview about mathematicians who are upset that Anthropic may have used their work (done on ChatGPT) to beat them to some proofs they were working towards. So, you were fine with using OpenAI that was trained on stolen IP until they stole *your* IP, is that it?
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Aven @avensarah.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
#SundayPixAutumn it’s still feeling pretty summery here, but the nights are getting crisper and the wildflowers are definitely autumnal.
A bouquet of wildflowers, purple and white aster and yellow goldenrod in a blue ceramic vase on a wooden sideboard covered by a white and blue runner.
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Purple Queen Publishing 📚💜 @purplequeenpub.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
An extremely early heads-up as I'm currently on the way to the airport for a quick weekend in London (& before I forget), the #SundayPix theme for tomorrow is #SundayPixAutumn. Give us your autumnal pics. Open to all interpretations as long as they're yours and not from the internet.
Three pumpkins, one orange. One yellow with orange stripes and one green.
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Ben Zimmer @handle.invalid · 17/09/2026
Looking forward to taking part in @grammargirl.bsky.social's Grammarpalooza Game Show, celebrating 20 years of the Grammar Girl podcast. Let's go, Cruciverbal Crusaders! (w/ @emilymoyers.bsky.social & Kyle Imperatore of the Butter No Parsnips pod)
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Aven @avensarah.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
The surprisingly connected origins of "robot" and "orphan". #etymology #wordnerd #linguistics #HistoricalLinguistics #language #words #lingcomm #robot #orphan youtube.com/shorts/gBbdR...
youtube.com
Robot/Orphan #Etymology
YouTube video by Alliterative
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Aven @avensarah.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
A lunchtime #knitting club at work has got me back into making projects, which is nice! A birthday gift of yarn from E2 helped too 😊 I’ve decided I need some shrugs for office wear. I really like how this turned out, but I found the pattern frustrating to work out and follow. 🧶
A woman wearing a black dress with a a green knitted lacy bolero A close up showing the lace pattern and the black and white cat button
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s. e. smith @sesmith.lol · 14/09/2026
You're going to be hearing a lot from me about The Flytrap's subscription drive: We're aiming to get 700 new subscribers (yeah you heard me) to make feminist cultural criticism more sustainable. This project is truly one of the highlights of my life right now, it & my cofoundes mean so much to me.
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Aven @avensarah.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
In a pleasing coincidence, the two podcasts The History of American Food and Gastropod have episodes about the history of milk drinking out recently, and I’ve listened to them in quick succession—was really interesting to hear the overlaps and different details in each! @thoafood.bsky.social
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Gretchen McCulloch @gretchenmcculloch.com · 12/09/2026
This is a fun little multilingual vocab quiz for anyone who's looking for some Saturday morning entertainment taketest.xyz/multilang-vo...
taketest.xyz
Multilingual Vocabulary — TakeTest
A vocabulary test across 15 European languages. Each screen shows ten words from one language and ten English meanings; pair them up. Click a word, then click its meaning.The ten words are the...
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M-A.Stay’Legit™️🇨🇦 @bagdmilksowhat.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
🇨🇦😂🇨🇦
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Primordial Platypus @perfectclarity.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
I don't know how much you like/dislike power metal but if you don't dislike it Unleash The Archers' cover of Northwest Passage is fantastic (if you actively dislike power metal uh... please disregard)
youtu.be
UNLEASH THE ARCHERS - Northwest Passage (Official Video) | Napalm Records
YouTube video by Napalm Records
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Aven @avensarah.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
The surprisingly connected origins of "bank" and "bench". #etymology #wordnerd #linguistics #HistoricalLinguistics #language #words #lingcomm #bank #riverbank #bench youtube.com/shorts/5X6S4...
youtube.com
Bank/Bench #Etymology
YouTube video by Alliterative
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Amalia Dillin/Amalia Carosella/Amalia Theresa @authoramalia.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
hungry for more Helen post Odyssey?
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Dr Tiggy McLaughlin @amalasuentha.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Two weeks left until the submission deadline for Society for Late Antiquity sessions at Kalamazoo! ##lateantiquity #medieval ##ancientbluesky #classicsbluesky
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Aven @avensarah.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
The surprisingly connected origins of "satire", "hadron" & "satisfy". #etymology #wordnerd #linguistics #HistoricalLinguistics #language #words #lingcomm #satire #hadron #satisfy youtube.com/shorts/IvzhV...
youtube.com
Satire/Hadron/Satisfy #Etymology
YouTube video by Alliterative
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Laura Harris @lauraliora.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Come hang out in Sackville with me!
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Aven @avensarah.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
New podcast episode! We’re jumping into the Odyssey movie discourse, finally! We discuss our reactions to the Nolan movie and then chat with some podcasters who’ve just released relevant books. Oh, and Marcie has a song about Odysseus. www.alliterative.net/podcast/2026... #podcast #nolan #odyssey
alliterative.net
Episode 127: The Odyssey, the movie -- and more! — The Endless Knot
We’re jumping into the Odyssey movie discourse, finally! We discuss our reactions to the Nolan movie and what we found interesting about it, and then chat with some podcasters who’ve just released r...
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Rosamundi @rosamundi.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
Advance warning of tomorrow's #SundayPix, Sundaypixies, it's #SundayPixStretch. Here's a stretch of the River Thames.
The River Thames, somewhere between Marlow and Windsor. Grey river under grey sky, the far bank edged with trees and moored boats. This bank is more grassy with low-rising plants. Two mute swans are floating on the river in the foreground.
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Shannon McSheffrey @medievalmcsheff.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
JOB!! The Department of History at the University of Ottawa invites applications for a position in medieval and/or transregional history, 7th-16th centuries. French or English, bilingualism an asset. universityaffairs.ca/search-jobs/...
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Canadian History Ehx @cdnhistoryehx.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
At the top, Lac Ontario identified on a map from 1688. On the bottom, the announcement in February 1867 that the new province would take its name from Lake Ontario.
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Marcie Sundaram @alliterative.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Just ignore Trump’s blustering stupidity. The province of Ontario is named after the lake, not the other way round. It comes from the Mohawk language meaning “beautiful lake”
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Mignon Fogarty @grammargirl.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Color and dictionary history is wild! I had a blast talking with @korystamper.bsky.social in today's episode, and not just because I learned that TNT was once used as a yellow dye. Check out our whole conversation about her fabulous book, TRUE COLOR. pod.link/173429229
At the top left, large white bold text framed in teal outlines reads "NEW EPISODE" above "EP #1215". To the top right, a teal oval badge displays the word "INTERVIEW" in white text.

The lower portion of the image features headshots of two women side by side:

Left: Mignon Fogarty smiling warmly, labeled below in a teal box as "GRAMMAR GIRL with Mignon Fogarty".

Right: Kory Stamper wearing glasses, a patterned sleeveless shirt, and short purple hair, labeled below in a teal box as "KORY STAMPER".

The background is an orange-and-yellow polka dot halftone.
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Aven @avensarah.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
The surprisingly connected origins of "astronaut" and "noise". #etymology #wordnerd #linguistics #HistoricalLinguistics #language #words #lingcomm #astronaut #navy #nausea #noise youtube.com/shorts/7UkDV...
youtube.com
Astronaut/Noise #Etymology
YouTube video by Alliterative
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Stacey Burns @wentrogue.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Dolly’s letter to Imagination Library graduates, with alt text
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Joel @itsjoels.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
This is the letter kids got at the end of Dolly’s Imagination Library. I defy you to read this and not cry.
Sorry, I can’t type that.
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Aven @avensarah.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Oh no! This is heartbreaking. 💔 She was such a light in the world.
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Aven @avensarah.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
An unexpected glimpse of Toronto’s beauty from a grocery store parking lot near my son’s new student house.
The blue sky of early evening between an apartment building on the left and trees on the right. A waxing moon hangs over the spire of the CN tower and a few trees and distant lit-up high rises.
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Aven @avensarah.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
And Ester looks pretty happy here 😻 #SundayPixHappy
A black and white tuxedo cat lying along a lap, asleep. And very cute.
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Aven @avensarah.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
Happy Birthday cards and flowers made me happy a couple of weeks ago! #SundayPixHappy
7 or 8 birthday cards sitting on a round table in front of a large and elaborate flower arrangement with roses and sunflowers and other exuberant blooms and foliage, all in front of shelves with books and cds on them.
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Dave Edwards @realdaveedwards.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
It’s #SundayPix time tomorrow folks and the theme this week is #SundayPixHappy So whatever makes you happy - family, friends, pets, a good book, a fun show, a sales bargain, great music or art or just a beautiful scene and solitude. These are from today’s camera roll to get you started.
Orinoco the dog. Maybe gone, but never forgotten.Daydream Island in the Whitsundays Sarah and I enjoying the sunshineAfternoon tea at the Waldorf. Great cakes.
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Pauline Barmby @pbarmby.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
Perhaps you would like some Canadian speculative fiction? You could check out the “Year’s Best” short fiction series by @ourmankoto.bsky.social: kotowych.com/bookstore/
kotowych.com
Bookstore | Stephen Kotowych
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Marcie Sundaram @alliterative.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
Today is World Goat Day so here’s a song about goats by one of my favourite indie artists @petejohns.bsky.social youtu.be/sEQH6MCECC4?...
youtu.be
Fear Cut - Goats (Lyric Video)
YouTube video by Pete Johns - Studio Live Today
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