When we stayed in a Deluxe King Room at Encore at Wynn in Las Vegas for a special birthday trip thirteen years ago, we definitely got the Frank Sinatra vibe, or “Frank” as my mother referred to him (as if she knew him personally). But that was my mother – lol! The pool especially felt like we were visiting Sinatra’s Palm Springs mid-Century Modern home. So when I saw this short on YouTube, I realized somebody else had the same idea. We’re thinking of going back later this year. Check it out:
HollywoodLand Supper Club
I wasn’t much of a fan of Royal Caribbean cruises until I tried Utopia of the Seas after watching a video of the train dinner show. So we set sail on a short 3-day cruise on Utopia to test it out. It was so much fun, we booked Star of the Seas, the second in the Icon class of ship (Icon of the Seas was the first). The real star of Star of the Seas to me was the Lincoln Park Supper Club, a 1930s Chicago themed dinner show with paired cocktails, music, and food. It was fabulous!
So when we heard that the third ship in the Icon class, Legend of the Seas, would have a Hollywood-themed supper club, we booked it, too. Not sure if we’ve lost our mind or if we’ll follow through with the cruise (these cruises are becoming outrageously expensive), but this year we celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary so we thought we’d splurge. Anyway, we’re anxiously waiting to hear what the playlist and cocktail and food menu will be. It sails on July 4, so we have almost 8 weeks until we find out. All we know is that the theme is 1920s-1950s Hollywood and that there will be a sax player added to the jazz ensemble. Oh, and, there’s also another train dinner show like on Utopia but with a Silk Road theme following Marco Polo’s route from China to Italy. Sounds like a blast!
In the meantime, I’ve set the bar high, hoping for a few favorite songs to be included. Here are three:
Rising From the Ashes
“She did terrible things to me” spins in my head as I rise from my bed and head for my sacred space in a desperate attempt to shake those thoughts and memories from my mind. Of course, it was all my fault for looking at those photos on social media. I thought I’d put it all behind me. Another setback on my journey toward healing. A path I’d thought I’d worn down and conquered until I met it face to face once again.
People like that wear a facade and spin a tale that all too many are willing to believe. Must believe in order to feel better about themselves. But I know the truth, the truth they refuse to believe or acknowledge. To the outside, their words create a wall of invisibility around me. To the outside, my words land on me in an unflattering way. They make me sound like a lunatic. Angry at the very least. And maybe I am. Because the wound I thought was dead and buried has been cut open again. Because looking at the person and the tale that’s been spun, my words look like imposters. They look like the lie.
Sometimes it feels like I carry this load alone. I am not alone. But I must carry that load one step at a time, one day at a time for eight more days. Until the day the world reveres is over. On that day, I will stay in my home. I won’t go to church where even they feel like they must celebrate that day. But if I know what’s good for me I will completely unplug. Where it is safe. Where I am loved. And I will be okay, Like the Phoenix, I will rise again and move beyond this time. Once again.
Now we need a song. How about “I Will Survive” with a little help from my musician friends and their kind, supportive words.
Music as Healer
Had one of those days when something hit me hard. Overwhelmed by the emotion, I struggled to work through it or even think about how to work through it. And then I remembered the secret – music! So I thought about “Under the Gun” I’d recently remixed and realized I hadn’t created a comment video for that song. Nothing like music and the appreciation from your fellow musicians to bring me out of the funk. Hope you enjoy! Happy Friday!
“Under the Gun” Streaming on Spotify
Browsing the streaming services my songs are on, I stumbled upon “Under the Gun” on Spotify. Please take a listen. If you like it, please follow “Screamie Birds” or add it to your playlist. Thank you!
Woman in Black Review Comments
Getting in the mood for working on my novel, “Night Moon,” I was listening to the album I created for “Night Moon” during FAWM 2026 and realized I hadn’t posted a comment video for “Woman in Black.” So proud of this song and appreciative of the wonderful comments from my fellow musicians. It’s motivating me to get back to work – lol!
I wrote the lyrics during Nov/Nov mentioning a “Sazerac” and, ironically, found the Jazzy Saz (based on a Sazerac) at Lou’s Jazz & Blues on Star of the Seas in December.
And yeah, where there’s a Florida tiki bar, there’s a biker dude – catch the “some of them ride Harleys” line in the song.
Dusky Blues
Logic Pro recently had a tiny but big update – tiny in that it was just the addition of new sounds and big because it affected the entire sound library. While browsing the sound library I discovered the “Dusky Blues” sound pack and just had to see what I could come up with when I heard that super cool, bluesy sound. Enjoy!
Mixed in headphones.
Screamie Birds Studios 