Ask HN: Why do you love programming?

A buddy of mine recently asked me why I love programming so much. I was surprised to find that I had a hard time putting into words the reasons why I love writing code. Now I'm able to explain that I do it for fun because I like to build tangible applications from ideas that I have, but at the time he asked me I couldn't put that thought into words.

So, HN, what are the reasons why you love to write code?