But it was the emotional significance more than anything. I grew up on mix tapes my dad used to craft to cope with his insomnia--I always benefitted way too well from his lack of sleep, with endless earfuls of great music and hours of entertainment spent "flying" the model airplanes he'd built and painted himself when I was sleeping.

And while I've forgotten the names of most of my airplanes, the music he shared with me is still with me... still the soundtrack to my earliest memories, still essential to my music library and my emotional composition. Tom Petty, The Beatles, Dean Martin, Hendrix, The Cure, Elvis... the (rather eclectic) list goes on, and I know that his love for music is one of the reasons why I have to have it, have to live it.

A lot of the time, I only wish I'd had the chance to share my favorites with him.