Sign in

Adam Taves

@ataves.bsky.social
215 followers 531 following 251 posts

Librarian. Frequently on the move in Toronto with Wyatt the delightful springer spaniel.

PostsRepliesMedia
Adam Taves @ataves.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Fran Lebowitz has a good take on that theme in "Pretend it's a city". I'll defer to her eloquence, which far surpasses my own.
000
Adam Taves @ataves.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
I was lucky to move to TO in the late 80s when I, a working class kid, could afford rent and almost nightly concerts and clubs with enough left to eat. We've made such experiences very difficult now for the average kid who is looking for that. It's bad for them and bad for the life of the city.
110
Adam Taves @ataves.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Eldest nephew (18) arrives soon from Australia. Left Canada when he was 12 and entertained thoughts of moving here, starting uni in Toronto in a year or two. Looked at pay versus rent in Toronto and backed off idea quickly. His Melbourne p/t job pays $40/hour. Toronto drives young people away.
100
Adam Taves @ataves.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
Is there a word after "NO" or is that just the general all-purpose message?
000
Adam Taves @ataves.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
Huge line-up late this afternoon at Central Y for the Brazilian election. Current vote tally isn't looking good. But will focus on this issue so as to ignore the pneumonic plague news I see popping up.
000
Adam Taves @ataves.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
Curious about results, I chose a well-known song I dislike (in this case, "Macarena") and had streaming service build a playlist from it. "Cotton Eye Joe" just finishing. "Who Let the Dogs Out" is next!
000
Adam Taves @ataves.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Did you know the 1962 Grey Cup game (Blue Bombers vs Tiger Cats) was halted in the 4th quarter due to fog? With the remainder played the next day? Things I've learned working with a 16 mm film collection at work. ocul-yor.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01...
ocul-yor.primo.exlibrisgroup.com
000
Reposted by Adam Taves
JW Mason @jwmason.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
This is the master key to deciphering contemporary debates about free speech. www.lrb.co.uk/blog/2026/se...
3234071270
Adam Taves @ataves.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Not wearing my reading glasses so originally read that as “if the librarians were to get a nuclear weapon…” and the mind reels.
010
Adam Taves @ataves.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Public services and lucrative profits are 2 phrases that should never appear together. I wish everyone would memorize that so anybody alluding to such a goal would get laughed off whatever stage they're on.
010
Adam Taves @ataves.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Today I've received 2 personal and 2 work-related "please disregard that last email" emails. I didn't like any of the last emails so I'm calling today a draw.
000
Adam Taves @ataves.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
On campus, I just paid $9.13 for a plain bagel with one egg and a few banana peppers. Campus predominantly Chartwell operations, that Mike Harris outfit that's being sued for killing seniors during Covid (proper care eats into nursing home profits) and bilking people for mediocre food.
140
Adam Taves @ataves.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
My only babka views come from Seinfeld. cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/7658...
cooking.nytimes.com
Date Caramel Babka Recipe • 5★ • 5 hrs 15 min
A buttery, enriched babka swirled with a sweet date caramel may sound like an ambitious baking project, but this one is extremely doable. Dates, soaked in hot water until tender, get blended with butt...
000
Adam Taves @ataves.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
I asked my father a few years ago if there was a sycamore tree in their yard. There is now and it's doing well. He sent this photo this eve - the first aerial view of their yard I’ve seen. Endless hours planting trees as a kid but what a delight now. Trees are wonderful.
Heavily treed yard surrounding by farm fields.
010
Adam Taves @ataves.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
You can see why Captain Adama didn't allow Battlestar Galactica's computers to be networked.
0101
Adam Taves @ataves.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Voilà, Canada's national library catalogue, has flipped to Lake America. Things move fast in networked systems. canada.on.worldcat.org/search?query...
3139
Adam Taves @ataves.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
We may need to brush up our German. Good place to start…
Cover of Ben Schott’s book “Schottenfreude: German Words for the Human Condition”.
030
Adam Taves @ataves.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Sad to hear. “Pilgrim at Tinker Creek” is a book to which I return often, and often just to read a short passage. Helps to slow the world down.
000
Adam Taves @ataves.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
I see Ford is seizing a potential opening on the Billy Bishop airport expansion. Have not been strongly opposed to airport as it currently exists, but at this point build the high-speed rail line and rip up the island runway Daley-style. In no mood to keep regurgitating this fight.
022
Adam Taves @ataves.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Today’s early morning rainbow must have been sent to foretell this evening’s delightful downpour.
A surprise early morning rainbow without any rain.
000
Adam Taves @ataves.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Indemnity clauses are akin to non-disclosure agreements. Almost always meant to protect shady characters/behaviour. And always a red flag.
000
Adam Taves @ataves.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
A recent favourite pic of Wyatt on ferry back to city from Toronto Islands. We sneak over early mornings so he (sometimes me) can go for a quick swim while beaches are empty. We leave no trace that he was ever there.
Liver and white springer spaniel on Toronto Island ferry.
010
Adam Taves @ataves.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
I'm annoyed at the Library of Congress's quick capitulation on the Lake America front. It introduces another problem to quell (see Mount McKinley, Gulf of America) in our catalogue. I did just chance upon subject heading "Historiography - History" which I thought delightful. Hang in there LoC.
020
Adam Taves @ataves.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Duke Ellington, a glass of wine, and exercising my chops in the kitchen is one of my mental health go-to’s when the world is spinning too quickly for my liking. Downside: this combo always triggers a want to buy pack of cigarettes. Shall resist.
Cover of Duke Ellington’s album “… and his mother called him Bill.”
001
Adam Taves @ataves.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
Disappointing to see any admiration for Doug Ford’s Captain Canada act. Sure, he’s our guy and full of bluster. But he’s a Trumpist to the core, and acts as one whether he’s dealing with airport expansion, bike lanes, or even with Trump himself. Toxic and corrupt. Don’t be fooled by the act.
010
Adam Taves @ataves.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Got my octogenarian parents set up with their first Smart TV this past weekend. Have received 2 tech support calls and realize I'll be buying an exact duplicate of their model. Will be conquering their need for computer upgrade soon. They're switching to a Mac whether they like it or not.
010
Adam Taves @ataves.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Rain, hail, lightning, torrential winds. Eventually the amphitheatre show can't go on. And so it shall happen on Sept 11.
Concert poster for TLC and Salt-N-Pepa with En Vogue "It's Iconic" tour.
000
Adam Taves @ataves.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
I've sort of wondered how tensions might affect US student enrolment at UT. Tons of US plates on drive coming into TO this afternoon and my neighbourhood is a sea of parked cars here from US. Admissions people must be pleased. Welcome to Canada, American frosh. It's nice here.
000
Adam Taves @ataves.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
University of Toronto in full frosh week mode and I live right next door. Abba's "Dancing Queen" at SMC elicited big cheers from crowd. Now Gaga. Moderate cheer. Gaga good too, but those old standards still have lots of life in them.
100
Adam Taves @ataves.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Spotted on visit to the farmstead: an improvised strike zone on the barn door. From an Aussie nephew’s July visit.
Barn door with masking tape outlining baseball strike zone.
000
Adam Taves @ataves.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
First time I’ve exclaimed “oh, we’re here!” on a Dufferin bus.
040
Adam Taves @ataves.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
It's the stupidity that is most exhausting. www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/artic...
theglobeandmail.com
Trump signs executive order to rename Lake Ontario as Lake America
U.S. President says change will take effect immediately
020
Adam Taves @ataves.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Need to brush up on my Hobbes.
newrepublic.com
Darline Graham Says You Should Work Until You Collapse and Die
Graham mocked universal health care in the weirdest way possible after winning her primary election.
000
Adam Taves @ataves.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Trump renaming things (e.g. Gulf of America) wreaks havoc on library systems that get name authority updates from Library of Congress automatically. Our economies are integrated. So are our library catalogues. Admittedly way down on the list of present concerns, but it is a huge annoyance!
thestar.com
Donald Trump threatens to rename Lake Ontario ‘Lake America’ amid Canada trade war
The threat comes after incendiary comments from Ontario Premier Doug Ford Monday in reaction to the breakdown of talks toward an agreement to lower the American tariff rate on Canadian exports.
000
Adam Taves @ataves.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
I've heard conflicting accounts. But the consensus seems to be somewhere in Algonquin. Killarney and Algonquin are rife with possibilities. Both glorious parks and a quick swim is always nice!
121
Adam Taves @ataves.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
During a spat of heavy canoeing in Algonquin and Killarney with friends, my canoe-mate and I always watched for little rock islands with what *may* be the inspiration for the Jack Pine. We'd come ashore and skinny-dip to the glory of Canada. Should be national policy.
2121
Adam Taves @ataves.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
A lesbian cousin visiting from Missouri asked me a while ago about women’s bars in Toronto. Uuhmmmm? Triggered memories of the Boom Boom Room (long closed), which was a regular haunt for a few years. Denise Benson does it justice: thenandnowtoronto.com/2014/09/then....
thenandnowtoronto.com
Then & Now: Boom Boom Room - Then and Now: Toronto Nightlife History
Boom cage dancers Mikey (far left) and friends. Photo courtesy of Sofia Weber. Article originally published February 1, 2012 by…
000
Adam Taves @ataves.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
The endless trade war tariff stuff is exhausting and I’m guessing many Canadians (and likely Americans) would be quite happy to awake tomorrow to the headline “Carney tells Trump to go fuck himself”. Throw in 50% export taxes on energy/oil and I’m making myself a Bloody Caesar for breakfast.
064
Adam Taves @ataves.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
I hope he doesn’t make reference again to being “peeled off the ceiling.” Such an unsavoury expression.
thestar.com
Fine dining, oysters and axe-throwing: Inside Elections Ontario filings that reveal how some Doug Ford cabinet riding associations spend donor cash
The expenses by the riding associations of some of Doug Ford’s ministers, which include nearly $15,000 for organic grass-fed premium beef, are detailed in Elections Ontario filings, and are funded by ...
000
Adam Taves @ataves.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
The diminishing need for figuring out bespoke routes is a really big deal. I hop on my bike or a city bike and it's all so easy right now for most trips. Re-inject the need for constant route planning and biking around the city becomes much less attractive.
010
Adam Taves @ataves.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
The fresh fruit is nice. The fresh tomatoes divine. But the Irish in me gets giddy when the new potatoes arrive. No famine here.
A basket of Ontario new potatoes.
000
Adam Taves @ataves.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
I have a nice view from my balcony of the Soldier’s Tower at the University of Toronto, a commemorative structure to honour university members who fought in the 2 world wars. It assumes added gravitas given the current state of the world. I find myself staring at it more regularly these days.
Looking west across Queen's Park at the Soldier's Tower at Hart House on the University of Toronto campus.
000
Adam Taves @ataves.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
My father’s decades old dad-joke “oh no” whenever my mother starts with “I’ve been thinking that we” never ceases to make me smile.
000
Adam Taves @ataves.bsky.social · 09/08/2026
I hope this doesn’t involve adopting a warrior mindset like our neighbours to the south. I don’t want to survive on steak, sauerkraut, and testosterone shots.
thestar.com
Canada ramps up ability to fight wars as peacekeeping role recedes
Peacekeeping operations once romanticized as the backbone of Canada's international nobility have all but vanished amid preparations for war.
000
Adam Taves @ataves.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
Wheatley just built a new one! The old one didn’t survive the 2021 explosion. Haven’t been in yet—perhaps a beer with dad this weekend. Tried and true OV will likely be only thing on draft.
120
Adam Taves @ataves.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
The Ford government's concern for farmers/farmland is hogwash. Exhibit A: The greenbelt scandal. If the concern is food security (a noble pursuit), there's Exhibit B: mass conversion of Essex/Kent county lands (some of the most fertile in Canada) to greenhouses. You can build greenhouses anywhere.
thestar.com
Doug Ford’s MPPs criticize Mark Carney’s Alto high-speed rail project after Billy Bishop veto
The 300 km/h train that would cut through farmland in rural ridings represented by Tory MPPs has always been unpopular with some members of Ford’s caucus.
000
Adam Taves @ataves.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
Price and origin indicators seem to be continually disappearing for produce at my Loblaws. A subtle way to communicate it may be expensive, of hostile provenance, and may make you sick.
000
Adam Taves @ataves.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
I've written my MP (Danielle Martin) a few times and do get responses. Largely boilerplate, but the responses do get more expansive about protecting the waterfront. Laughable official line is "no plan has been presented".
051
Adam Taves @ataves.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
MPOW is hiring a Collections and Acquisitions Manager. Posting at bit.ly/3TzJNGd. I do collection development so you'd get to work with me! Although I shouldn't presuppose that is a great selling point.
bit.ly
Collections and Acquisitions Manager
Access Full Position Posting Purpose: York University Libraries' Content Development and Acquisitions Department oversees the acquisition and processing of content and distinctive collections that su...
000
Adam Taves @ataves.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
"New Knowledge Experience Available" Actually I just need some tech info from your website about the platform my workplace just licensed from you. Definitely trying to avoid having an experience.
000