First things first- I gotta say, the bikes in this thread are way more interesting than anything in the Road sub-forum that I've been lurking in for years.

broke college student + small apartment = one do-everything bike

Scattante XRL cyclocross frame, SRAM Apex that I had originally built up a road bike with (and then crashed), wheels and other bits that were lying around. It can handle basically any terrain in northern Chicagoland, but mostly it does 30 miles round-trip to school in Chicago and 100 miles round-trip to my parents' house in the suburbs.

It's not super practical for riding in the city and it's pretty aggressive for commuting, so when I find a job my first project will be a dedicated city/commuter build and this one will stick to long(ish)-distance adventures and light touring.