The Matzoh Man returns for Passover on CatSynth TV, this time accompanied by a Minimoog, Roland VP-03 vocoder and our trusty Nord Stage EX.
The Dayenu song is a tradition on Passover. The word dayenu approximately translates to “it would have been sufficient” and is used as a phrase of gratitude for each of the miracles recounted in the Passover Hagaddah.
Chag Pesach Sameach!
Purim is the “most synthesizer-y” of Jewish holidays, given that one of it’s central rituals is noisemaking. This year we created a synthesizer demo running sounds from a gragger through several modules.
The demo uses a mixture of pre-recorded gragger on the QuBit Nebulae and live sound via the Mikrophonie and Make Noise Echophon. The full list of modules used in the Purim demo is:
I do wish I already had a Qu-bit Nebulae v2 for this project. You can see our review of v2 from NAMM 2018 here.
Purim is a holiday that commemorates the saving of the Jewish people in the ancient Persian Empire from the king’s wicked advisor Haman, as told in the book of Esther. Traditionally, the gragger is used to mask the name of Haman when said out loud during readings.
One of our favorite holiday traditions in San Francisco continues to be the holiday windows at Macy’s flagship store on Union Square featuring adoptable pets from the SF SPCA. It’s hard not to melt a bit looking at the pets in the windows, located at the corner of Stockton and O’Farrell, waiting for their new homes.
Of course, the cats were mostly doing what cats do best.
I believe this trio are litter mates.
All of the animals are available for adoption, and one can schedule visit time to meet them just as one would at the main SF SPCA shelter. At the time I visited, there were only kittens. I do hope to see more adult cats, who often have a tougher time getting adopted. When I turned back to photograph on adorable black kitten, her space had a sign saying she was taking a break to visit with a potential family. I certainly hope it worked out for her.
You can find out more about the SF SPCA / Macy’s Holiday Windows at this site, including information on visiting and donating. I’m sure I’ll be back at least once before it closes on January 3.
Once again, the San Francisco SPCA has partnered with Macy’s flagship store in Union Square to feature adoptable pets. I have visited a few times during my walks around downtown SF this holiday season, and on Saturday say these playful kittens and many others.
Besides providing an adorable respite from the usual holiday commercial overload, these windows serve to highlight the plight of adoptable pets in our communities that need homes. Indeed, all these pets are available for adoption and many do fine loving homes from people who see them in the windows. I am confident this vivacious youngster will find a home soon.
There are also adult cats in the windows for adoption, and I hope the find homes as well. Adult cats from previous homes can make great companions, especially for quieter households. (Luna was a previously homed adolescent when I adopted her.)
I did love seeing these two intertwined, especially because one looked like a very young Luna. Perhaps they will be adopted together?
It’s always fun to come see the cats in the windows and help support the cause of caring for homeless pets. If you do visit before it closes on January 4, please make a small onsite donation. You call find out more about the holiday windows program and how to support all the SF SPCA does for animals in our community via their website.
So this is mostly how Luna and I spent our two-day Christmas break.
Relaxation and comfort was the primary agenda. I didn’t even keep up the tradition of going out for Chinese food.
We hope you all had a good holiday as well, however you choose to spend it! And if you haven’t had a chance to check out last weekends SF SPCA holiday windows post, we recommend that you do so.
For this year’s holiday edition of Weekend Cat Blogging, we have scenes from our rather casual observance of Hanukkah.
Luna inspects the iPad-based menorah after the fourth night (which happened on Friday). The iPad app is from an Israeli studio, and has simulated oil flames rather than candle flames. It has the traditional prayer in Hebrew, which I cannot read particularly well – growing up, we either said it in English or from transliteration.
We do have a real menorah as well, but Luna is not allowed near it. You can see it in this post from the past.
Luna did get some new toys to play with. She is quite fond of the catnip-filled variety.
Weekend Cat Blogging #342 is hosted by Jules and Vincent, at Judi’s Mind Over Matter. Check out their great black-and-white photos.
Carnival of the Cats will be hosted tomorrow by Billy SweetFeets.
The Friday Ark is off this week for the holidays.
No, that is not Luna. Our own holiday video would probably be a bit more Hannukah themed.
From GayGod on YouTube, via matrixsynth.
Happy Holidays from your friends at Subtractive!
http://www.Subtractive.netMusic by: Justin Bates
Edited by: Kaipo Jones
Each year, the San Francisco SPCA teams up with Macy’s in San Francisco to feature adoptable pets in the holiday window displays at their main store in Union Square. And we at CatSynth present some of the cats that are featured in the windows and available for adoption.
The windows featured a theme this year that appeared to me as a series of gears and old machinery. It turns out that the theme is in fact “Make a Wish” and the machinery represents a “wish factory”. Clearly the wishes here are for loving homes for all the adoptable animals.
The program is always popular with visitors to busy Union Square. And it has been quite successful, placing many animals in homes and raising funds for the San Francisco SPCA’s many other programs.
The holiday windows continue through January 1, with different animals rotating through each day. If you are in San Francisco this holiday season, I encourage you to check it out. Those who aren’t going to be in the area can still enjoy the displays via the live video feeds.
You can find out more about Macy’s SF SPCA Holiday Windows at this website, including hours, volunteer opportunities, and donation information.
Weekend Cat Blogging #341 is hosted by Billy Sweetfeets Gingersnap.
The Carnival of the Cats will be hosted this Sunday by the always hard-working Nikita and Elivra at Meowsings of an Opinionated Pussycat.
And the Friday Ark is at the modulator.
December 25 (Christmas) is a completely free day us.
After a season (and indeed, a year) that has been exceptionally hectic even by my own standards, such emptiness can be a bit jarring. One could catch up on the myriad creative projects and practical items that have been languishing, or just relax. Luna on the other hand has no problem with this whatsoever.
This is yet another lesson we should learn from our animal friends.
I would go for a walk downtown or along the highway structures, but with the blustery wind and stormy skies outside, it seems best to stay inside this morning with a warm cup of of coffee and a cat. It also seems like a good morning for some 1950s/1960s minor-key jazz (actually, a lot of mornings are good for that). Just imagine The Dave Brubeck Quartet’s Take Five or John Coltrane’s Equinox in the background with the pictures of Luna and you can glimpse Christmas morning at CatSynth HQ.
Weekend Cat Blogging #290, Holiday Edition is hosted by Jules and Vincent at Judi’s Mind Over Matter.
The Carnival of the Cats will be hosted tomorrow by Nikita Cat.
The Friday Ark is on hiatus for the holidays.
