{"id":1215,"date":"2019-09-02T08:39:40","date_gmt":"2019-09-02T15:39:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/musicalmakiko.com\/en\/?p=1215"},"modified":"2019-09-02T08:42:44","modified_gmt":"2019-09-02T15:42:44","slug":"a-day-off-in-houston","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/musicalmakiko.com\/en\/life-of-a-pianist\/1215","title":{"rendered":"A Day-off in Houston."},"content":{"rendered":"\n

I spent 7 years of my life in Houston between 2012-2017. Of course, I have lots of memories and friends here. It’s one of my many homes I feel lucky to have around the globe. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A few hours after my flight landed, I was at Bistecca<\/a>. It is an Italian restaurant with a baby grand piano. I got to play for 25 professionals from the Japanese community, giving my spiel as “Dr. Pianist” about my mission to promote music as a healing agent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Half of the people gathered that night were my friends that supported me through my 7 years in Houston, including my attainment of my doctorate, various performances including the fundraising after 3.11 earthquake and tsunami in 2011, and my persecuting a stalker. One of them had been in an accident recently, and nearly severed his spinal cord. He had gotten out of the hospital a few days earlier, meeting his goal to make it to my performance that night. He and his wife were all smiles – I was so happy to get to hug them, and play music for them again. I also got to see a ten-year-old I have known since he was a toddler. He had gotten over his shyness he always displayed around me, or any women. Now, he actively showed interest in my piano playing, approaching me at the piano when I played, asking me questions. I promised him a piano lesson during my stay this time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I feel lucky to get to share life’s transformations, progress and set-backs, with my friends, and offer them my music and communal experience along the way. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each city has its own tempo. People walk, talk and do business at different pace. Houston is relatively relaxed. Here, every morning, I jog for two miles the first thing when I get up. My hostess is a retired dancer, who teaches Gyrotonic<\/a>. She often has me join her in her own personal morning routine exercise. Her high-rise apartment overlooking Houston is my office while I write and do my administrative work. I am happy here. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

\"Image
The view from my home\/office for the week. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I spent 7 years of my life in Houston between 2012-2017. Of course, I have lots of memories and friends here. It’s one of my many homes I feel lucky to have around the globe. A few hours after my flight landed, I was at Bistecca. It is an Italian restaurant with a baby grand […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":177,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[440,195,439,100,334],"class_list":["post-1215","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-life-of-a-pianist","tag-bistecca","tag-dr-pianist","tag-houston","tag-japanese-association-of-greater-houston","tag-traveling-pianist"],"yoast_head":"\nA Day-off in Houston. - 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