I've got a bike, you can ride it if you like.

Well I managed to survive the bike ride to and from work today. I awoke before the sun, shaved, grabbed my pre-packed back-pack, my energy bar, and glilded out the door on two wheels. I do believe I left at 7am. The trek to work - pun intended seeing how I ride a Trek - was fairly painless. I did loose my bottle of water, but I recovered. The most inconvient place to ride through was Zikler Park. It's a flippin' huge park and they don't have paved paths! Come on! Anyway I arrived at work at 7:45 in time to jump in the shower and change. I'm not sure of the exact distance, but I want to say that it's about 7 or 8 miles so I'm getting a 14-16 mile ride every day I do this. I actually went another few miles on top of that since I forgot my lunch and headed over to McCalister's Deli for an always excellent Roast Beef on wheat. I've decided that I'm not going to ride everyday, but a thice per week schedual would be nice.
I got home today just in time to get to the apartment office before they closed. Christiaan had a package waiting for him from his parents for his birthday. As to his box, I had a Foo Fighters vinyl waiting for me in the mail. Yay vinyl!

H'okay, here's a survey I promised Jen I'd fill out. Here we go!

1. FIRST NAME? Matt(hew)
2. WHO WERE YOU NAMED AFTER? Um...I think I had a great Aunt that really like the name Matthew, plus I do believe my parents were already partial to it.
3. WHEN DID YOU LAST CRY? My eyes water when I yawn, does that count?
4. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? Not at all, I write like a 5 year old.
5. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? Hm...smoked turkey or roast beef.
6. KIDS? Someday when I can afford it.
7. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON, WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? Well I am quite full of myself, so yes.
8. DO YOU HAVE A JOURNAL? Ahem. No, not at all.
9. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? Ahem, Look up.
10. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Not only do I have them, they're bigger than yours.
11. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? Yeah, I just may need a little push.
12. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Granola or Golden Grams
13. Do you UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? Depends on the shoes.
14. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? I'm capable.
15. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? Mint Chocolate Chip
16. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? Smile and Eyes (how cliched, I know)
17. RED OR PINK? Red
18. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? I don't know.
19. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? My family and Lincoln friends.
20. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU? Please no.
21. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? currently neither pants or shoes.
22. THE LAST THING YOU ATE? Rice and Salmon.
23. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? Wilco - Shot in the Arm
24. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? I always like navy blue as a kid even though I love green.
25. FAVORITE SMELL? Fresh shower smell.
26. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? Jen
27. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? She's not too bad. : )
28. FAVORITE DRINK? Pepsi...but I'm on a soda free kick right now.
29. FAVORITE SPORT TO WATCH? Baseball if it's important.
30. HAIR COLOR? Dark Brown.
31. EYE COLOR? Green with a hint of blue and tan starburst.
(what happened to 32?)
33. FAVORITE FOOD? Italian & seafood.
34. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDING? Scary!
35. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? Little Ms. Sunshine
36. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? Green...hahaha.
37. SUMMER OR WINTER? Summer.
38. HUGS OR KISSES? I like to combine them.
39. FAVORITE DESSERT? Carrot Cake.
40. MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? No one, I'm not sending the email out.
41. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? See above.
42. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING? Gosh Koplan O.A.T. review, Physics for Scientists and Engineers, Biology review, etc...
43. WHAT'S ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? Who has a desktop now a day?
44. WHAT DID YOU WATCH LAST ON TV? The Office season premier!!
45. FAVORITE SOUND? Rain as I fall asleep.
46. THE FURTHEST YOU'VE BEEN FROM HOME? NYC or Cali.
47. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? Oh I'm chalk full of special. I can hold my breathe for 90 seconds, I can blow tiny spit bubbles off my tongue, I can speak with an awesome British accentt (imho), and I busting with worthless musical factoids. 48. WHEN WERE YOU BORN? Feburary 2, 1981
49. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Lincoln, NE
50. WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE PERSON? Well I'm going to be more direct. Jen is.

All of this studying has got me on edge, luckily I was able to hang out with Jen and see a Sufjan show this weekend. (Click the pic for a video.) I have to say that after taking in the entire experience, this is one of my favorite shows I've attended. We saw a slightly dorky yet human side of Sufjan in a very personal and inspiring atmosphere. A couple of personal highlights - Sufjan informing the crowd that they had decided to wear sunglasses every time on this tour when they played a cool part, and also Sufjan forgetting the second line to Abraham and asking the audience for help remembering it. He also played a new song, Majesty Snowbird, which made my head spin. Holy good! I can't wait to hear the next album. The set went something like:

sister
the lord god bird
casimir pulaski day
detroit, lift up your weary head
dear mr. supercomputer
jacksonville
to be alone with you
abraham
a good man is hard to find
the predatory wasp of the palisades is out to get us
majesty snowbird
seven swans
encore: chicago

In unmusical related happenings, I dropped my bike off at a repair shop yesterday. I'm getting a tune up, new tires, and new grips. I have a plan for success for exercise and studying. Now that Summer is cooling slightly, I'm going to ride my bike to work, a distance of probably 6 miles. There's a shower in the staff men's restroom, so I'll shower at work after the ride. I'm also planning on packing lunch and study material. That way I can plop down at lunch and eat and study. I'll be riding around 12 to 13 miles a day, so that should help me in the exercise area. Yay updates!

I'll update later after I'm study free, but here's a tasty bit from this weekend.

A bit more....Chicago Clip!