APPinions: Lots of Love

I'm a sucker for iPhone apps, particularly those of the social networking kind, or anything that enables me to communicate with a large audience of people at once. I'm a Twitter junkie, but I've cut back on my Facebook use as of late (mainly due to the glitches in Facebook's mobile app), but I'm always on the lookout for the newest app that lets users speak their mind.

I stumbled upon an app the other day called iLoveTh.is, which was listed in the "Featured" tab on the iTunes App Store. Being the curious consumer I am, I downloaded it and gave it a test run. It didn't take long for me to size this one up, and the description is pretty simple: Log into the app using your Facebook account, then using the tabs, you can publish to your friends all the things you love, whether it be an iPod track you're listening to, food from your favorite restaraunt, or just about anything else.

The concept is simple and there are no hidden features. It's a simple app for one basic purpose. If you're looking for an app loaded with features or if you're seeking out something groundbreaking in the world of mobile apps, look elsewhere.

As you can tell from the screenshot, the layout is minimal, and there is pretty much nothing to do with this app other than to tell your friends what you love. Other than its limited functionality, there was one other  glaring issue with  this app. In the time that it took me to get familiar with it, the app crashed several times just upon opening it. For a meaningless app with absolutely no features, this is a dealbreaker.

The app is available for free from the iTunes App Store, but unless you feel like having a serperate app for something you can easily do via other, more popular social networking apps (Twitter, Facebook, Google+), there's really no need in wasting your time.

Too Much, Too Soon: Why the Longhorns' ranking is too high

In keeping with tradition, it's about time I take a long look at the Texas Longhorns as they prepare to enter the 2011 season. To clear the air a little, I'll admit once again that I'm a diehard Horns fan, but I also always stay true to the ways of ethical journalism by not letting my allegience cloud my writing. So, what you read here is not personal bias, but personal opinion.

Last season was a disaster for the Longhorns, who had played for the BCS National Championship the previous year and fell short. The trasition from Forty Acres legend Colt McCoy to All-Hype freshman Garrett Gilbert was supposed to be bumpy, but not as rough as what transpired during the 2010 campaign.

As a sophomore quarterback, Gilbert and the Longhorns stumbled to a 5-7 record, their first losing season since 1997. Gilbert threw 10 touchdown passes and was picked off 17 times. He had just two games in which he passed for more touchdowns than interceptions. For a former top QB recruit in the nation coming out of high school, things just weren't supposed to be this bad.

But what's done is done. Let's talk about the 2011 season. In particular, let's discuss Texas' preseason ranking. The USA Today poll has Texas at #24.

That's too high. Here are 3 reason why:

1. QB Controversy

One of the biggest questions Texas has to answer entering the 2011 season is, "Who will play quarterback?" While Gilbert has the experience, his performance last season coupled with a subpar showing during the Longhorns' spring game has the Burnt Orange Nation begging for a change. But the other options aren't much better. Case McCoy was good during the spring game, but he's inexperienced, and the other QB's on the roster are freshmen. Some reports have leaked tat Mack Brown has secretly informed Gilbert he will be the starter, but just how short will the leash be if Gilbert can't succeed early?

2. New Schemes = Adjustment Period

Finally, Texas parted ways with offensive coordinator Greg Davis, who caused me more headaches last year than anybody. I blame Davis for most of Gilbert's failures as a QB last season, for dumbing down the offense and clamping down Gilbert's arm instead of giving him the chance to make plays downfield. Replacing Davis is Bryan Harsin, who spent the last decade at Boise State directing an offensive attack that was consistently among the best in the nation. However, the Horns will also have to adjust on the defensive side, where Will Muschamp vacated his DC position to take over as head coach in Gainesville. To me, the biggest adjustment will be on the defensive side. It will take some time.

3. The Competition Has Caught Up

One of the most overlooked reasons why I believe Texas' ranking to be too high is because their list of opponents is better than ever. Many of the teams on the schedule are the same, including non-conference foe Rice, but most of them have made big improvements over the past few years. Just taking a glance at the schedule, I see a handful of likely losses for this Longhorn squad, including BYU, UCLA, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Oklahoma State, Missouri, and Baylor. In case you lost count, that's seven potential losses, just like last season.

Now don't get carried away, thinking I'm jumping off the bandwagon after last year's dismal season and bagging on the Horns now. That's the last thing I'd do. Texas could very well win eight games this season, and I still believe that Gilbert will develop into a top quarterback (I honestly see 2011 as his breakout year). But I am gonna give it to you straight: Righting this ship will take more than one season.

Texas will get back to its dominating ways in the years to come, and they may even finish the 2011 good enough to be in the Top 25, but it's way too early to call this Texas team one of the best in the land. Much too early.

Cherish The Moments

It's always fun for us to hit the road and spend some time with loved ones we rarely get to see for an extended period of time. That's what our little clan did this past weekend, loading up early Saturday for the drive to Longview to see my wife's aunt and uncle. To be honest, we didn't do much. The women took the kids into town for some school shopping (7 hours worth), while the men talked sports and weather, made a snack, then crashed for a LONG nap.

On Sunday, we all sat around the table and played some dominoes (Chicken Foot was the game of choice) for about 4 hours. The point is, these trips don't have to be action-packed in order to be fun. We managed to keep it pretty minimal but still had the kind of weekend getaway we had been needing for some time.

The older I get, the more I cherish these little visits with family. A few years back, they didn't really tug at my heartstrings too much, but now they seem to make an impression on me, emotionally. Not to say that I'm weeping on the drive home or anything like that, but I simply appreciate them for their worth a bit more, and now realize that the opportunities for repeat visits are becoming fewer, which is saddening in its own right.

It's important that we cherish what time we have with our loved ones. You never know how many you're gonna have. Spend time with your family, be there for them as you would want them there for you. Take advantage while you still can.

***With that said, I'd like to wish a Happy Birthday to a couple of people, my friend Danny Gladden turns 44 today, and my beautiful niece, Lilly, is celebrating birthday #9 today.

It's Coming To An End

It's still around 110 degrees outside, so summer isn't technically coming to an end any time soon, but for those of us who have kids, especially those who stay at home with them, our summer is abbout to be over. It's been an interesting one here at The Gibson Acre, where I made the decision to take online classes instead of paying for childcare so I could take classes on campus this summer. One thing's for sure -- last summer was a lot less crazy than this time around.

Staying home with the kids, while trying to juggle a handful of other tasks on a daily basis, was something I thought I was ready to handle, but clearly, I was not. In addition to making sure the kids were fed and clothed each day, I had to balance my time so that I could get homework, housework, and miscellaneous tasks completed while trying to avoid my boys from feeling abandoned. It's far from easy.

But despite the craziness, this summer was very rewarding in many ways. I was able to spend a lot of time with my boys, we had an awesome vacation, and we created/shared a ton of memories. The end of our summer is certainly bittersweet. While I've enjoyed the time together, i'm excited to get back to school in the fall with a full load of courses (on campus). I'm also looking forward to covering another season of high school football for my alma mater.

But there are still two weeks left before the boys head back to school, so we are going to make them count. No sense in letting it go to waste.

A few other things on my mind:

1. Some of the members of my church, including our pastor and youth pastor (the latter is one of my closest friends) just left for Colombia on Tuesday to do mission work in the Amazon for almost two weeks. Any prayers you can send their way would be appreciated. They are doing some amazing work down there and we are definitely keeping them close to our hearts.

2. Speaking of my alma mater, Lone Oak HS will have its Red/White scrimmage next Tuesday at Buffalo Stadium. That means it's time I get geared up and ready for another season. It also means I need to help get the "Best Little Pressbox in Texas" cleaned up.

3. Two of my favorite kids will celebrate their 9th birthday in the next week. My oldest son, Nathan, turns nine a week from today, while my niece Lillian has a birthday in just a few days.

4. I'll be heading out of town with the family this weekend to visit some relatives, so my next post will likely come Monday. Have a great weekend!

I'm Gonna Make It Right

So, as I've previously stated, I've been trying to make an effort to repair some of the broken relationships in my life. I find that I've been spending more and more time with my dad recently, something that is definitely rare for us, but it's already working wonders in our relationship. As far as my mother is concerned, I haven't spoken to her in over a year and  haven't seen her in person for almost four years. My mother and I are total opposites, and the fact that we are so different is what really drove a wedge in between us. But something happened to my wife last night that made me reevaluate what had happened between my mother and I, and why I now see that I was wrong for shutting her out of my life.

Without going into too much detail on what happened, I'll simply say that my wife is the most caring, loving and nourturing person I have EVER known, and that's not just something I say because she's  my wife. She is always willing to help people, in particular, her younger siblings (she's the oldest) who have made quite the mess of their own lives. Even when they take her for granted, use her, and walk all over her, she is willing to help them in any way they need, sometimes when we can't even afford to. That's just who she is.

When I stopped and reminded last night of just how big her heart is, I started to think about how things went down between my mother and I. Once I did, I felt like crap. A real low-life. Then I thought about what the Bible says about honoring your mother and father, and I felt like crawling inside of my own skin and hiding. Here I am, trying my best to glorify God with my actions and the way I live my life, but all along I've been disobeying one of the most basic principles. It's one of the Ten Commandments, for crying out loud!! I'm supposed to be honoring my mother, no matter what, and instead, I've been ignoring her, shutting her out of my life completely for nothing other than convenience (another truth I came to terms with last night). It wasn't the way to make my life better, it was, however, a great way to wither my heart against this woman, who brought me into the world.

The thought of it made me ill. I vowed right then and there to do what I could to repair my relationship with my mother, and to make an honest attempt to embrace her, instead of ignoring her. Hopefully, my mother and I can soon begin to build a bond again. It's the right thing to do. It's what I WANT to do.

Still Going

Week 1, Day 3 of Couch to 5K completed this morning. Things will get a little harder when Week 2 begins next Monday.

Location:Farm-to-Market 2947,Greenville,United States

Mr. Motivated

Exercise. That's something I've never really put any serious commitment into over the last year or so. But as time goes on and I notice my waistline getting larger and larger, I knew something needed to be done. I started noticing friends of mine posting on Twitter about a new program they were involved with called Couch to 5K (Here's the link). So, I snooped around, asked some questions, and realized it was probably something I could handle, so now I've officially joined the program.

I'll be finishing the first week in the 9-week program tomorrow. It's been a good test, that's for sure, because I haven't run any sort of long distance in quite some time, probably since my military days (almost a decade ago). But, it definitely puts my body to the test, and demands a lot from my bad wheel (knee), but not so much that I can't handle it. The only drawback for me is waking up early enough to run before the sun gets so hot that my shoes melt to the pavement. Other than the early wakeup to avoid heatstroke, the running itself has been more than tolerable, and it feels rewarding when it's over.

It's strange how quickly something like that can motivate you if you let it. Throughout the entire week I've been looking for more ways to keep moving, to stay active, that I usually don't do. Whether it be swimming, or basketball, or even a night of dancing with my wife (like I did the night before for the 1st time ever), it's good to find a program that can motivate you to do other  things. That's something I'm already getting out of this program, the willingness to push it even further once the workout is completed.

I'm not only looking forward to completing the program, but have agreed to run in the first local 5K race available once I do finish. That's the kind of goal that can keep me hungry and focused. Who knows? Maybe it will lead to  bigger and better things. But the best thing about the motivation is that it's contagious. Being determined to excel in one area, like fitness for example, can spread to other facets of life like school, work, parenting, and even spiritual matters. Motivation is a huge key to a healthy lifestyle, and as long as I stay focused, that's what I'm setting my bar for.