so what do you do when listening?

All kinds of stuff. Listen intently in awe, drink and party, play with the dog, work, doze, read hifi magazines, recall past musical endeavors, look for something else to play, whatever-any or all of the above. Plus double Advents in the garage-clean bikes or change tires, rub the car, do projects. I almost despise the saying but it's all good.

I listen. That's all.

I will play music while doing other things and tune in periodically, but if I am doing something else, like reading, then I may be hearing the music at the same time but I would not say I was listening because my attention is elsewhere.

Get my girlfriend to blow......ahh.....err......the leaves off the driveway......with the leaf-blower! Yeah.....that's what she blows while I'm listening!

Well right now I am eating spaghetti with my special blend sauce. Late I will be going over some things that have to do with a board meeting I have on friday.

".... when listening?"

Enjoy... mostly. right off I'll listen for errors or out of whack stuff (if any) going on with the gear itself... Once I've done that brief audible inspection, it's just digging whatever I'm in the mood for...

I'll keep roaming from one genre to another as the mood prevails... the variety and choices being made for the session keep my attention.

I'm only critical when something has been changed, and then only to the point where I've noted the difference (s). Then it's back to plain old enjoying what I'm hearing.

I'm mindful then only of the different quality levels of the recordings.

Recently, I won't even begin a session until late evening 10p +

... and yeah... I'll fall asleep too just before dawn usually.