When I was in eighth grade, I was madly in love. But the girl, who I wanted to marry and sometimes wrote sad poems about, didn't feel the same way. So I decided to prove my love with a mixtape. For me, music was (and still is) the most intense force in the world, so I thought this would truly make her reciprocate my affection. I set my plan in motion by stealing my oldest brother's Motley Crue cassette, putting pieces of tape over those tiny holes so I could record over the screeching of Vince Neil, and adding songs to my mixtape that would show just how great I was. I gave the tape to the girl the next day. A few days later, she told me that it was "cool," but somehow it didn't sway her romantic opinion of me. It might have had something to do with one too many Metallica songs, which were moving to me, but somehow not to her. But at the time, having her tell me that the mixtape was cool was a victory in and of itself. READ MORE