First Row

The three social networks I use the most, in descending order, are Twitter, Facebook, and Foursquare. I’ve tried out several Twitter apps but find the official app is the strongest one available. The Facebook app isn’t as good as it could be — it lacks many features you find on the full site, such as the ability Like comments, @ tag content in status updates and comments, and access the old style Groups — but it’s the best option available. I’ve also tried out several Foursquare apps, and until recently my main reason for sticking with the official app was because it didn’t crash as much as most 3rd party apps. But the new Explore tab is tremendous, so now I think I’ll stick with this app even if the others I’ve tried become more stable. All three of these apps are free.

Rounding out the top row is my Bible app of choice, the ESV Bible app by Crossway. I used to use YouVersion, but I find the reading experience on the ESV Bible app to be so much better with its full screen reading mode. You don’t need an Internet connection to use it, which is a huge plus. I’d estimate that I now do roughly half of my overall Bible reading in this app. Furthermore, it’s amazing how much more I read the Bible now that I literally always have one with me. This app is free. The same developers make a premium ESV Study Bible Plus app that I’ve had my eye on for a while which includes study Bible materials. That app costs $14.99.

Second Row

All four of these apps are default iPhone apps. I moved the iPod app out of the Dock row because I just don’t need to get at it as much as my text messages. That said, I still use it more than any other music app. You might think it a little odd that I keep the App Store on my home screen. I download apps all the time (236 since I got my iPhone, 175 of which are currently on my phone). Plus, I’m a little obsessive compulsive about checking to see if there are any updates available for these apps, so I’ve kept in on my home screen. I use the Calendar app all the time. I have it synced to my Google Calendar. It’s one of the things I like most about having a smart phone, the ability to have my full calendar right at my fingertips and make plans accordingly. I kept Maps on the home screen because I’m usually using it while I’m in a car. I need easy access to this app, even if I don’t use it too often.

Third Row

This row includes two folders, which I’ll highlight in detail momentarily, but first I’ll look at the two apps standing alone. Evernote makes up one half of what I refer to as my “second brain.” I use Evernote as an idea box. When I have an idea for an essay, for a web project, for ministry, or whatever, I open up Evernote and either type it in or, more often, use the audio recorder to record a memo for myself. I’ll be able to access all these notes from my Evernote desktop apps at home or work, or from anywhere I have an Internet connection using the Evernote web interface. I don’t need a web connection to use the iPhone app, only to sync my notes across platforms. This app is free.

The other half of my second brain is OmniFocus. At $19.99 it costs four times as much as any other app I’ve bought to date. And it’s been worth every penny. OmniFocus is a project management app. Sometimes I use it as a simple to-do list for the errands I need to run. But it’s real strength is in breaking a project out into many smaller steps, with the ability to give each step its own due date and other specific information. The app pushes reminders to me when an item is about to be due. Over the past year I’ve taken on a lot of new responsibilities in totally unrelated spheres, and this app is one of the reasons I’ve maintained my sanity through it all. Shawn Blanc wrote an excellent and massive review of OmniFocus for Mac, iPhone, and iPad a few months back should you be interested in more information on the app.

Photography Folder

Even though I have a number of different camera apps I still use the default Camera app quite a bit. Ever since Apple included the HDR setting — and chose not to make it an API available for 3rd party app makers to use — it’s become a very strong option. Plus, it’s really my only video camera app (FlickIt also takes video but limits you to 90 seconds).

I think Instagram is my favorite photography app though. The filters are great and the square Polaroid-esque shots it produces are really slick. There’s also a lot of amazing tools being made to work with Instagram, such as Instaprint, Inkstagram, and Instagallery (especially the iPad version). Instagram is a free app.

The other six apps in this folder I don’t use too often, but it seemed foolish to make a separate folder elsewhere for them. The Photos app doesn’t really need much explanation: it’s the browser for my photos. I use FlickIt to upload photos to Flickr. Camera+ used to be my go-to camera app. It has some features that none of my other apps have that still make it a strong choice for some situations, such as the ability to set separate focus and exposure points, a grid overlay for taking straight pictures, a stabilizer to guard against blurry shots, a countdown timer, and burst mode for a rapid succession of shots. I only use Picplz to comment on the photos of other Picplz users, though I used to use it to add photos to my Foursquare checkins before Foursquare added that feature to its own app. It’s not a bad app though, and some may prefer it over an app like Instagram. Path is one of those apps that I want to start using but haven’t yet. It’s to share photos with friends without posting them to a social network for all the world to see. Potentially very useful. Finally, I use the Flickr app to browse Flickr. Camera+ costs $0.99 and the others are all free.

Video Folder

As with the Photography folder, most of these apps don’t get a ton of use but it seemed logical to keep them together. Yes, I have two YouTube apps. The first is a link to the mobile web app, which is many respects is the better of the two products, and the second is the built-in YouTube app. The apps for Vevo, Vimeo (web app), Justin.tv, and Dailymotion are just for browsing their respective video offerings. I don’t have a fancy cable TV package at home; instead I stream Netflix and Hulu Plus to stream content to my iPhone, TV, and computer. VLC is no longer available in the App Store, but it’s used for playing video files not natively supported by the iPhone. AirView is an awesome app. We’ve all seen the iPad ad where the guy is watching Toy Story 3 on his iPad and he tosses it to his Apple TV using the AirPlay feature. This app allows other iOS users to toss videos to my iPhone. Yeah, so wicked. Justin.tv will set you back $4.99 (I downloaded it when it was still free) but all of the rest of these apps are free (though you’ll need to pay to use Netflix and Hulu Plus once you’ve downloaded the free apps).

Fourth Row

As much as I’d like to move the Settings app off the home screen I find that I go into it quite often, mostly for issues with wifi networks or to put my phone into Airplane Mode (something I do often so I can “get away from it all”). Instapaper is the newest addition to my home screen. I’m trying to add this service into my workflow as a way of saving articles I find on the web that I don’t have the time or ambition to read the moment I find them. This app costs $4.99. Reeder is a fantastic app, one of my favorites, and a must-have for any Google Reader user. I’m a huge fan of Google Reader and RSS feeds in general. (Learn more about RSS in this post I wrote a while back.) It’s how I’m able to read over 100 blogs every day without wasting my entire life in the process. Reeder syncs with my Google Reader account so I can read my favorite blogs on the go. It costs $2.99.

UPDATE: Since publishing this post I’ve written an article on how and why I use Google Reader and Instapaper to read content on the web.

Writing Folder

This folder is a work in progress. I use WordPress for my personal blog and for several other websites I’ve developed. I’ve actually never used this app to write a new post or page for any website, but I do use it to approve new comments and write follow-up comments. (Thus, you may question why it’s even in this folder. I do intend to use it to write new posts eventually.) PlainText is a cool little app that syncs with my Dropbox account. (Learn more about Dropbox in this post I wrote earlier this year.) It allows me to create and edit .txt documents in a folder within Dropbox. This sync option makes it far superior to the default Notes app, also included in this folder for sake of continuity only. Lastly, Glyphboard is a useful web app character map. All of these apps are free (you can remove the ads in PlainText for $4.99).

Dock Row

My dock is pretty boring with its four native apps: Phone, Messages, Safari and Mail. At some point I’d like to use Google Voice in place of the Phone and Messages apps, but I’m not eager to do all the work required either to port my existing number or to train people to use a new number.

About the Title

The name of this post was lifted from a website called 1st and 20, a collection of iPhone and iPad home screens from designers, developers, and tech writers.

What’s on your Home Screen?

If you’re an iPhone user, tell me about your favorite home screen apps in the comments.

This post is part of my ongoing post series, What I Use. In these posts I highlight the technology, products and services I use on a regular basis.

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: Affiliate Marketing Links http://cmp.ly/5

First and Twenty: My iPhone Home Screen was originally published on Andrew Ledwith's blog.
© 2004-2011 Andrew Ledwith. All rights reserved.

Alas, I fell short.

Just a couple weeks ago, sage blogger John Saddington ran a contest on the website ChurchMag in which he gave away his old iPhone 3GS. He had just bought the new iPhone 4 and decided against selling his old phone in favor of doing something more fun.

The giveaway was not done at random. John spelled out the specifics:

Drop a comment below telling us about someone that really needs an upgrade on their personal cell phone. This could be someone who’s got an old Nokia from the late 90′s or someone who’s recently lost their phone or damaged it but is unable to afford a replacement. … Our hope is to provide a handset for someone that seriously has a need instead of someone who’s just wanting to upgrade for upgrades’ sake.

Reading this made me think of one person: my old roommate Joe. (The alert reader will note that this is the same Joe from the Jumping Joe Meme.) I was one of the first to enter the contest:

My old roommate Joe just got married and he’s NEVER owned a cell phone. I promise, cross my heart. I know it’s hard to believe. His wife Mandi (who has an iPhone) has said she won’t force him to get one until she gets pregnant. But I have to believe his lack of cell phone annoys her even if she’s a good sport about it. He has an iPod touch that he really likes, and I think if someone were to hand him an iPhone he would finally want to take the plunge. Plus, when people see he has a cell phone, there will be all sorts of fun rumors about their expanding family.

I was extremely confident that I’d just turned in the winning entry, but it was not meant to be. Joe and I lost. The winner submitted the following video comment.

Watch on YouTube: iPhone 3GS hand-me-down

I have to admit, I think the guy who won was a good choice. Sorry, Joe. Better luck next time.

Missed It By That Much was originally published on Andrew Ledwith's blog.
© 2004-2011 Andrew Ledwith. All rights reserved.

I am about to make my first foray into smart phones. I just pre-ordered the new iPhone 4. It’ll be released on June 24.

I’ve been following the development of smart phones, app stores, and the like for years. I have a general idea of the apps I’d like to use, but I want to hear from the people who have been using them. What iPhone apps do you use? Which are your favorites? These could be apps from Apple’s App Store or they could be web apps.

Leave your suggestions in the comments. I’ll try out all the free apps you suggest and many of the premium ones, too. I’ll write a follow-up post in a few weeks.

What iPhone Apps Do You Use? was originally published on Andrew Ledwith's blog.
© 2004-2011 Andrew Ledwith. All rights reserved.

15″ MacBook Pro

• Eventually I’ll need to buy a new battery for my MacBook Pro (when my current one stops holding a charge), and I’m glad to see that they’ve made a battery with even better battery life than my computer currently has. UPDATE: I don’t think I got this one right. Yes, the 15″ MacBook Pro has a better battery, (up from 5 hours to 7) but these new 15″ MBPs have a battery that cannot be swapped out by the user, only by Apple (one more reason I’m glad I got my computer when I did). So, it’s unclear to me whether the type of battery found in my computer received an update. I’m guessing it didn’t.
• I’m really glad I got my 15″ MacBook Pro when I did. My computer has an ExpressCard slot; now they come with an SD card slot instead. The average user will like this move, but not the power user. I think it’s a very strange decision.
• I’m glad to see the MacBook Pro received a price cut, even if it only affects the low-end model.
• I really wish my MacBook Pro could handle 8GB of RAM. That is a HUGE update. The hard drive and processor updates are also nice.
• Refreshed features and lower price is immediately available.

17″ MacBook Pro

• The 17″ MacBook Pro has such a niche market. I’m surprised they cut its price, but I won’t complain.
• I’m very glad to see that they left the ExpressCard slot on the 17″. Those power users need the flexibility.
• Lower price is immediately available.

13″ MacBook

• The FireWire 800 port is making a return to the 13″ MacBook. I bet those early adopters aren’t happy.
• I’m shocked that it can handle 8GB of RAM as well.
• The standard backlit keyboard is a bigger deal than you may think. I’ve come to really appreciate that feature on my computer.
• I’m confused on one point. Since the MacBook is now technically part of the MacBook Pro line, is it called a MacBook Pro? I know they made it a part of the line to further differentiate it from the old, white MacBook they’re still making (still, sort of a weird decision). But what is it called?
• Refreshed features and lower price immediately available.

MacBook Air

• That is one insane price cut! It’s now $700 cheaper.
• Lower price immediately available.

Snow Leopard

• It’s only a $29 upgrade for current Leopard users! I didn’t think I’d be upgrading for a while, but it looks like I will be.
• Exchange support doesn’t really mean anything to me, but I know it does to a lot of people. Way to go, Apple!
• The update to Exposé sounds like something I’d use.
• Somehow Snow Leopard is half the size of Leopard. I don’t see how that’s possible, but I’m all for it.
• The handwriting recognition for the trackpad could be cool. I’ll give my verdict once I give it a try.
• Safari 4 looks fast, but Firefox is still king in my book.
• Grand Central Dispatch will unlock the power behind multi-core systems. I’m very excited to see this in action.
• Available this September.

iPhone OS 3.0

• The fact that tethering is coming to the iPhone but isn’t coming to AT&T iPhone users (i.e. American iPhone users) is as epic a failure as you can imagine.
• Find My iPhone is awesome. Every cell phone should have this feature. Login to the web, send a message to your phone, it’ll play a sound, even if it’s set to silent. (I could see awesome potential to abuse this feature to great comedic effect.) Also includes a wipe command to use if your iPhone is stolen.
• The built-in iTunes U support might add to the growing fad of universities using the iPhone/iPod touch in the classroom.
• Turn-by-turn apps will soon hit the App Store. I’m pretty excited about that, but I’ll say this: the fact that TomTom didn’t announce the price of their app during their demo is probably a bad sign.
• I know nothing about Zipcar, but the fact that there’s an iPhone app that can unlock a car is pretty sweet.
• The iPhone OS 3.0 is a tremendous upgrade, but anyone who paid attention to the demo event months ago knew about a lot of the basic features already. As such, I won’t list them again here.
• Available June 17 — free for iPhone, $9.95 for iPod touch.

iPhone 3G S

• The name is lame (the ‘s’ stands for speed). The name lameness will not hurt sales.
• A 3 megapixel camera on a phone is crazy. I remember when that was considered the standard for point-and-shoot cameras. How far we’ve come.
• Macro and tap focus look great. I’d like to see the result of each in person.
• An iPhone video camera (without jailbreak) is long overdue. The polished features look impressive, but I won’t coo over something that should have been released at the iPhone’s initial launch.
• How accurate is the voice control? It’s a sweet feature if I don’t have to shout the same command over and over again.
• I have said since its 2007 release that I wouldn’t buy an iPhone until the capacity hit at least 30GB. We now have a 32GB model for $299. The 16GB model sells for $199. (Prices are for iPhones bought on contract.)
• If you’re mid-contract you’d pay $299 for the 3G and $399/$499 for the 3G S.
• Available June 19.

iPhone 3G

• It was a GREAT decision to keep the 8GB iPhone 3G on the market for $99.
• New price starts today, so if price was what was holding you back before go get one.

General Thoughts

• It would appear that not even Apple is immune to the recession. Price cuts occurred across the board.
• For the first time I will seriously look at purchasing an iPhone. (I am already an AT&T customer, so the consideration comes down to the increase in monthly service costs and the purchase of a very expensive phone.)
• I will be upgrading to Snow Leopard immediately. The $29 upgrade cost was my favorite announcement of the day. I still can’t believe it.
• Even though I no longer have the newest version of the 15″ MacBook Pro I’m glad I purchased mine when I did. It’ll be years before I need more than 4GB of RAM, but I can see myself needing the ExpressCard slot much sooner.
• Clearly the 13″ MacBook is the biggest winner of the day in terms of refreshed products. I also think it’s Apple’s biggest surprise of the day.
• Even at its new price, you still shouldn’t buy the MacBook Air. There are satisfied customers, I’m sure. But it seems to generate more complaints than any other Apple product. If you want a small Apple computer, buy a MacBook, not a MacBook Air.

What Do You Think?

Have any thoughts about today’s keynote? Leave them in the comments.

Immediate Reactions to WWDC 2009 was originally published on Andrew Ledwith's blog.
© 2004-2011 Andrew Ledwith. All rights reserved.

I can’t believe my sister got an iPhone before I did! Way to go, Alison! Read on and I’ll tell you about some of the iPhone 3G’s best apps and accessories.

I could act like this is really making me jealous or mad or something, but I’ve been encouraging people to consider the iPhone since it came out, so I actually view this as a good thing. I think the only thing that’s frustrating is that she didn’t even want one. She was looking into getting a Blackberry and found that it would actually cost less over the duration of her contract if she got an iPhone instead.

As I’ve mentioned here before, I’ve never actually owned any piece of Apple hardware before. (My only Apple purchase was Quicktime Pro for my Dell desktop, which I really like.) My sister has an 80GB iPod classic and now an 8GB iPhone 3G. I have some catching up to do.

Trick Out Your iPhone (or iPod touch)

Because Alison hadn’t considered getting an iPhone until days before she made her purchase she really didn’t know much about it beyond the basics. I, on the other hand, have been considering one for quite a while. (I’m waiting for at least 30GB of storage.) During that time I’ve been collecting links from the all over the web that will help me trick out my iPhone if/when I get one. At my sister’s request I emailed to her a list of my best finds. I’ve decided to share that list here.

Case:

My sister and I agree on this: if you’re going to spend this much money on something so easily dropped you’d better protect it as best you can. The IvySkin Touch-Thru Case completely covers your phone but still allows you to use the touch screen without any difficulty.

iHome:

You know that funny sound you hear when you put a cell phone near a speaker? You hear that sound a lot when your phone and your music player are one in the same. There are a variety of iHome products (and generic me-toos) that are designed to shield against that noise. The iHome iP99BR and the iHome iP47BR are two examples. (If you do buy a dock with speakers, look for one with a “Works With iPhone” sticker. Both of these products have it.)

Apps from the App Store:

Obviously there are a lot more than the ones on this list, but here are a few that I recommend.

• AIM – Meebo and Trillian will also get you connected to AIM
• Air Sharing – Turns your iPhone into a wireless network drive [read about it here]
• Evernote – Robust note-taking software [read about it here]
• Facebook – Current version is pretty good, but version 2.0 (to be released soon, read about it here) looks wicked awesome
• Google Mobile – Should be a no-brainer [read about it here]
• Jott – I am a huge fan and heavy user of this voice-to-text service [read about it here]
• Mocha VNC Lite – Remote control your PC [read about it here]
• Pandora – The killer app for the iPhone [read about it here]
• Remote – Control iTunes on your PC remotely [read about it here]
• Sportacular – Unlike the ESPN app this one is ad-free
• Wikipanion – For those addicted to Wikipedia
• WordPress – For self-hosted WP blogs and wordpress.com blogs [read about it here]

For more great iPhone apps I suggest you read Lifehacker’s Featured iPhone Application series.

Blog Posts:

Some of my favorite blogs talk about the iPhone quite a bit. Here are a few posts you may find interesting.

• Make an iPhone Ringtone with iTunes in Windows
• Create Custom iPhone Ringtones the Free and Apple Way – For Mac users
• Free Replacements for Paid Tools – For “push” email, calendar and contacts without paying for MobileMe
• Turn Your iPhone or Your iPod Touch into a Multi-Room Wireless Music Remote
• How to Transfer iPhone Voice Mail to Your Computer
• 12 iPhone Tricks You Might Not Have Known
• 8 More iPhone Tricks You Might Not Have Known

Add to This List!

Are you an iPhone owner (or, like me, an iPhone enthusist)? Share your thoughts on what apps, products and tricks work for you in the comments.

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: Affiliate Marketing Links http://cmp.ly/5

Get the Most Out of Your iPhone 3G (Just Like My Sister) was originally published on Andrew Ledwith's blog.
© 2004-2011 Andrew Ledwith. All rights reserved.

Today the blogosphere is abuzz with the news of a new app in the App Store called I Am Rich. The man behind the app is asking $999.99 for his efforts. What does it do? Here’s the description in the creator’s own words:

The red icon on your iPhone or iPod touch reminds you (and others when you show it to them) that you were able to afford this.

It’s a work of art with no hidden function at all.

After pressing the (i) button on the main page, a secret mantra will be shown. This may help you to stay rich, healthy and successful.

So, in other words, it does nothing.

There’s been a wide variety of reactions to this app. Some folks are angry, some find it humorous, and still others wish they’d thought of it first. Personally I was sad to hear about it, but it did get me thinking.

Reminds Me of Facebook

I was hoping the Apple App Store wasn’t going to turn into the Facebook App Directory. When the Facebook Platform first launched I’d swing by the directory every now and then just to see if there was a gem I hadn’t heard of yet. But have you tried using the Facebook App Directory lately? It’s impossible to find anything of value in there! And I’m sure there are some pretty stellar apps being made each month that get buried under the endless supply of drivel.

Now, I don’t own an iPhone or an iPod touch but I have debated getting one recently. If I did own one I would be far less likely to “window shop” the App Store if I thought I’d have to sift through garbage like this just to find something useful. And believe me, copycats of this app are bound to be made now that the world knows Apple is willing to grant them a piece of digital shelf space. Personally, I’d like to see this app get pulled from the store and for Apple to take a stronger stance against useless applications.

Apps Worth a High Price

Obviously none of us would pay $1000 for this iPhone application. But I got to thinking: how much would a guy like me be willing to pay for an iPhone/iPod touch application? Could I see myself paying $50 for an app? How about $100?

There’s been a lot of talk about the potential for the iPhone/iPod touch to become the next great gaming device. I’m still a little skeptical, but if developers turn out good products I could see hardcore gamers (but not me) dropping $30-50 on a good game.

There have also been persistent rumors that turn-by-turn GPS is coming to the iPhone in the form of an app. I could see myself spending good money on a quality GPS app if it meant that I didn’t have to buy a standalone unit.

But those are really the only two types of applications that I could really see warrenting a high price tag, and neither would come anywhere near $1000. Plus, when you come right down to it, many of the best apps are free.

What Do You Think?

What do you think of the “I Am Rich” application? What’s the most you’d pay for an iPhone/iPod touch application? What would that application be?

Would You Pay $1000 for an iPhone App? was originally published on Andrew Ledwith's blog.
© 2004-2011 Andrew Ledwith. All rights reserved.

Apple has very quietly added larger capacity versions of both the iPhone and iPod Touch to their store as of today. The iPhone is now available in a 16GB flavor and the iPod Touch has a new 32GB iteration. Both sell for $500. Why is this a big deal? And why release these larger versions now? Three words: software development kit (SDK).

For those not in the know, Apple did not make it so any old third-party programmer could write programs for the iPhone/Touch straight out of the box. That’s half the reason why people are so intent on hacking their device (the other reason, at least for the iPhone, is so you can use a carrier other than AT&T). But starting in February there will be an SDK available for any developer who wants to make their program legit.

Of course, these programs are going to take up space on your iPhone/Touch, precious space that’s already being used by your music, photos and videos. That’s where these new toys come into play.

I think most people wanted the higher capacity iPhone to include 3G, but that announcement is going to come with its fair share of hoopla. I’d say it’s possible we’ll see the 3G iPhone this summer at WWDC, but more likely that it’ll be at MacWorld ’09. That’s just personal speculation, but I think Apple is going to make the refresh of its MacBook Pro line the focus of WWDC ’08.

I’m still not going to buy either device simply because I currently don’t need either of them, though both are very tempting. If it weren’t for the astronomical price I’d think that the 32GB Touch would be a really hot item. I’d personally rather have an iPod Touch to compliment my fully-loaded computer than I would a MacBook Air, if that’s any indication.

Capacity Upgrades for iPhone, iPod Touch was originally published on Andrew Ledwith's blog.
© 2004-2011 Andrew Ledwith. All rights reserved.

So, Who’s At Fault? – To give a brief update on the whole car situation, I received good news from my insurance company. The adjuster agreed with me that the accident was the woman’s fault. I mean, after all, she hit me. This is a particularly interesting development since I was the one who received the citation. I bet the woman is pretty confused, probably angry too. I was very thankful. The bill to get my car fixed and to pay the deductible to get her car fixed would have been a very large bill for me. As it is I’m just stuck with a citation that’ll cost around $120. That’s not fun, but it could have been much worse.

My car has been in the shop since Wednesday and should be done this afternoon. I’ve been driving around town in a Dodge Caliber for the past couple of days and it’s just not the same. I’m such a big fan of my car and can’t wait to get it back.

In a related story, I’m starting to take a different way to work because making that same turn that I got hit on has been messing with my head. It doesn’t take any longer; it’s just different roads. But it makes all the difference in the world.

Quote of the Day #1: “Touchdown! And the plane wins! Thirty-five to nothing!” — the passenger sitting next to me on my flight from Tallahassee to Atlanta as the plane hit the ground, spoken at the top of his lungs (this after talking my ear off about everything and nothing the entire flight)

Quote of the Day #2: “Ladies and gentlemen, a woman in the main cabin is missing… her black purse.” — the main flight attendant on my flight from Atlanta to Hartford right as we were preparing to land, whose pause between thoughts was unnaturally long and stole the collective breaths of the entire plane

An Overdue Christmas Summary – Right, so this isn’t a timely piece, but I just want to say that my break in Connecticut was fantastic. I was a real homebody. I probably left the house five times the entire time I was home. Even when I hung out with Josh Kelley it was at my house. (Josh, by the way, owned me in ever card game we played. That’s a true reversal of fortune considering the last time we played I couldn’t be stopped.) While around the house, when not with my parents or trying to fix my awful laptop, I read Don Miller’s To Own a Dragon and loved it. I recommend it to anyone, especially men, even if they did have a father when growing up. It’s more about finding someone to mentor you, what it looks like to let them lead you and letting God father you than anything else.

My sister Alison was usually either at work, fake studying for her Physics test or just out and about so I didn’t see her as much as my parents. I did enjoy watching UT play Iowa with her. And I love the fact that she hates Texas A&M after one semester at school. That’s the way it should be.

I think my favorite Christmas gift was one that I gave. Is that bad? I gave my dad the DVD of the 2003 Simon & Garfunkel reunion tour. I had picked it out remembering that my mom and dad were mulling over going to the show in person when it came to Connecticut. Sadly the show was $200 per ticket, so they chose not to go. Now, I’m a fan and all; I grew up listening to them with my dad. But I didn’t think I would enjoy it as much as I did. They’re still very good even at the age of 60ish. Their backup band was stellar. The whole show was great. I’m thinking about downloading the audio off of iTunes. If you’re at all a fan, and that’s unlikely since I only have a half dozen readers, then I encourage you to check it out.

A New Character Flaw – I’ve never considered myself to be a person who gossiped or who told stories about other people. In fact I think that’s the one type of person I judge most often. I just can’t stand when people talk about people behind their backs or, worse than that, when they talk about people when the person in question is right there. My problem in the past was always that I made up stuff about me to make myself look better. So imagine my shock when I am told by a person I know, in no uncertain terms and with an aggression I didn’t know they possessed, that I need to stop talking about them behind their back.

I must admit, I don’t remember exactly what I said at the time, though I can imagine saying something since it loosely involved my roommate situation. I apologized, sort of. It was one of those “I don’t remember doing it but if I offended you then I’m sorry” sort of apologies, which isn’t heartfelt at all and really is meant to end the encounter more than anything else. I’m left wondering if I’ve become the person I hate the most. And I’m wondering how I got to this place. Do I do this a lot? And not just with this person, but with a lot of people? How often do we sit down and evaluate the words we speak on any given day and ask if they were edifying to all parties involved, those spoken to and those spoken about? I don’t think I ever do, but I’m starting to think I need to do it.

It’s Great to be a Florida Gator – (And, just to clarify, it’s still great not being one.) I’m pretty disgusted that I live in a world where the Gators are football and basketball champions at the same time. I had a party for the game at my house where we had some people wanting OSU to win because they weren’t UF and some people wanting UF to win because at least they were a team from the same state. We had one true Gator, Mr. Derek Guffin. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. I still don’t really believe it. Put it on the big board Colbert, college sports are officially dead to me.

The defeat of OSU forced me to destroy a Facebook group I had made the week before entitled Ohio State: Beating FSU’s Rivals in BCS National Championship Games Since 2002. I was so proud of that group too. It’s rare that I have an idea that has a chance of being universally accepted and hasn’t already been thought of by someone else.

Two Random Bits of Sports News – First, no man is worth $250 million over five years, not even Beckham. Second, if the Heat sign Chris Webber I might officially become a Magic fan. That is all.

iPhone – I can’t adequately describe to you how awesome this thing is. Go here and check it out for yourself. Even if it costs $499 for the 4GB model and $599 for the 8 GB model (those are probably the prices without a service plan, so don’t expect to actually pay quite that much) I will have to fight the urge to not buy one the day it’s available. Why did I not see how amazing Apple was before?

I’m Such a Sucker – I had no intention of going on this year’s Nav ski trip for a number of reasons. First, none of my closest friends were going. Aaron, Jacob, my roommates, James, Kyle, and Rob were all either choosing not to go or just unable to attend. I don’t really have a freshman that I’m trying to make an impression on either, so that wasn’t part of the equation. Remember also that I never had any intention of skiing, even if the weather forecast wasn’t predicting temperatures in the 50s and rain. So my fear was that I’d go, not really do that much and, worst of all, waste my only day off between now and Memorial Day (excluding when I go to my cousin’s wedding in March, of course). And I really thought I had a good plan for what to do each day of this weekend.

So Dave gets up and gives his message last night and it’s pretty much exactly where I’m at spiritually. And, like any good salesman, he says that the rest of his product lies just inside and all I have to do is commit to a purchase. In other words, if I go on the ski trip I get more of the message that’s impacting my heart. So, of course, I signed up. I come to find that one of my roommates also is a sucker and signed up at the last minute too, so at least we’ll be suckers together.

But now in all seriousness Dave did make an additional good point when I sat down with him at the end of the night. We, as a ministry, only do one large event a month. If I keep saying I’m here to invest in students, and this ministry is the vehicle I want to use in order to make that happen, then I should probably seriously consider each event as a means to that end.

Do me a favor. Pray that everyone would be safe on the way up and back, and while skiing if there’s any skiing to be done. Pray too that we’ll grow closer to each other, since that’s really the reason we’re going. I look forward to telling you all about it.

An Overdue Christmas Recap was originally published on Andrew Ledwith's blog.
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