I've been asked -- what do I do? I make mixes. That's what I do.

I've been making mix tapes and CDs since as long as I can remember. And for some reason, I seem to be pretty decent at it. My friends all rejoice at the sight of a new disc for them, people at parties that I've burned discs for often ask the host for copies or to know who did the "party soundtrack," that sort of thing. I remember once in college, I made a mix tape for a friend but a few days later when I went to his dorm, I heard copies of it blasting out of at least three people's rooms -- he had been playing the tape over and over and so many people heard it and liked it that they asked him for copies. Then when I came over, his hallmates swarmed around me and asked me to make them mixes as well.

I tailor-make each and every one of my mixes for the recipient. I've never taken one mix and just mass-distributed it. I get a feel for what the person likes and I try to put together a disc that I think they'd like. And almost all the time, they do. I don't think I've ever gotten a bad response from a mix I've made. I've burned discs for people I've never even met that still got rave reviews.

The character John Cusack plays in High Fidelity was right: Making a mix is a very subtle art. It's a very delicate and complicated thing. And it's why I put so much work into selecting the proper songs and ordering them just so, because you can't just throw songs in a mix and have it all come out in the wash. A good mix doesn't go from something like Neil Diamond straight into Guns 'n' Roses -- though I have included songs by both in the same mix and made it work. It needs to flow. I don't just pile a bunch of songs in and hit "burn."

You're going to laugh, but I kind of feel like whenever I make someone a mix, I'm giving them a little piece of me. This is my work, my personal judgment, my time, my personal tastes and my thoughts of them going into each disc I'm burning. And hopefully, whenever they listen to it, they'll think of me, wherever the either of us might be.