This blog was originally published in the RockDoc Grimoire newsletter
🍂A Seasonal Note…
As Persephone takes her husband’s hand and makes her way to her underworld timeshare, so must Charli–Chappell Summer™️ give way to Practical Magic Soundtrack Fall™️. Make some roasted butternut squash soup—this recipe from Food Wishes is my favorite—and put on Stevie Nicks’s “Crystal” for the perfect combo of witchy and wistful.
🎮Whatcha Playing?
Right now, Sky Team has an absolute GRIP on our household—it’s like co-op Yahtzee with planes! The setup and gameplay are both quick, and it’s grounded enough (pun intended) in the realities of being a pilot that my amateur flyboy isn’t taken out of the experience. It also serves as a great tactile holdover until Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 comes out and we can take to the skies together virtually.
📺Whatcha Watching?
It’s American football season, and I’m watching all manner of NFL and college football these days. I love football as a a soundtrack to any activity that’ll take ~3 hours and isn’t audio-dependent, a solid time container with regular announcer cues amidst the din of pads converging to keep me on task. My allegiances are with the Miami Dolphins and the University of Miami—because there’s nothing more FIU alumna than rooting for the school you got into but couldn’t afford—but I also get caught up in whatever fun storylines there are (Deion Sanders/Colorado, I’m looking in your direction). I also feel some obligation to track the Dallas Cowboys, since the mood of the metroplex can turn on a dime based on their performance (and so does mine, apparently).
Honorable Mention: Season 5 of The Great Pottery Throw Down. As someone who’s more of an additive artist than a subtractive one, it’s really impressive that someone can essentially perform transformative archaeology on a lump of clay to uncover the subject within. It’s a soothing watch, the artwork produced every week is genuinely impressive, and it’s nice to see the evolution of the Simon Cowell compliment —> Paul Hollywood handshake —> Keith Jones sob as ultimate reality show reward.
🌈Whatcha Doing?
I’m settling into a lot of new things: new part-time job, new apartment, a whole new neighborhood to discover, and a new year of my weekly acting class! Adventures abound during my favorite season (August and Everything After), but the truth remains:
- I still need to visit the latest Crimson Echoes EP that’s been years in the making and finally give those songs the attention and release they deserve.
- I miss chatting with folks on stream and singing live.
- I gotta play in the paints again.
There’s a lot I’ve been avoiding these last few months, but because I somehow gain energy as the days shorten, I know there’s going to be a lot to look forward to as well, like…
A new Crimson Echoes collab with downupright! Stay tuned for more in a few weeks!
Thanks for reading this first page of the Grimoire!
If you’d like to pay the energy forward, consider these places, and be sure to check your voter registration status if you’re here in the US!
…And no matter what you do, always be sure to ROCK ON.
—Elisa
Elisa Melendez 