What a great thread. It's amazing how creative people tend to share a lot of the same passions. Like a lot of you I'm a musician. Been playing guitar and piano/keyboards for 43 years. Toshi, I loved your story! A lot of it seemed familiar to me, except my experiences all took place in the frozen wasteland of Minnesota. hahaha...
Played in a lot of bands, primarily in the '90s, working a ton. So much so that it finally burned me out and I stopped performing on stage in 1999. I haven't played in a band since. Now I just record my own music in my home studio. Here's what the studio looks like:
In times of stress, like my current unemployment, this basement studio gets a lot of use. It really helps me to relax. I love experimenting with sounds and there are times when I can spend six hours "playing" with a sound and never record any of it. But I always leave feeling wonderful.
Cheers, Mark