Speaking only for myself, no, I do not. It's funny: Twelve years ago when I would come up here for a week-long visit when my sister was at NYU, I would go out every single night like a rabid junkie. I vividly remember one particular week that included shows by Elliott Sharp with an 18-piece orchestra, an Ed Blackwell Trio gig with Carlos Ward and Mark Helias, the very first performance of Tim Berne and Mike Formanek's Loose Cannon (a show that Joey Baron opened by telling jokes and attempting magic tricks) and Ned Rothenberg's Double Band (with Thomas Chapin), night after night after night. And when I first moved here, it was much the same: Even though I lived out in the 'burbs on Long Island, I would schlep into the city as often as humanly possible to hear things. But it's definitely cooled off over the years: Aside from a brief stretch when I worked at the Knitting Factory and lived in Manhattan five years ago, when again I would find myself out most every night (it helps when all you have to do is walk upstairs for a show, then walk home afterward), I find that I don't go out as much as I used to. Now, as the classical music editor of a weekly magazine, I'm invited to hear the Philharmonic, the Metropolitan Opera, and incredible visiting soloists on a daily basis. And of course, then there's the overwhelming amount of jazz, rock and other music that's also available most nights. Faced with such a bounty, sometimes my mind simply freezes up and I don't go hear anything. And sometimes, frankly, I'd just rather be with my girlfriend - and since we're both professional music journalists, sometimes in our down time we'd rather do almost anything at all rather than going out to hear more music. But lest I sound jaded, my enthusiasm for music itself remains undimmed: I still listen to piles of CDs and download even more (though these days it's almost entirely "legit" stuff). I do still have weeks where I'll go out almost every night, though thanks to my work schedule there are even more weeks when I cancel almost every night and remain chained to a computer. And I'll hasten to add that when one of my favorites is playing (especially Cecil Taylor and Derek Bailey), I'll almost always make the effort. Steve Smith ssmith36@sprynet.com NP - Gloria Coates, 'The Force for Peace and War' (New World)