a sample of the jumbled mess in my head

In the next few days there should be an update available for Debt Freedom. I submitted a big update to them with major updates and features. Be on the lookout for it.

Just wanted to let folks know how Debt Freedom was doing now that it has hit the iPhone app store.  I’ve had reports for 3 days of sales (actually 4 but the first day was when it came out at the end of the day and wasn’t being listed yet).  For those 3 days, I have sold 236 copies in the US, 268 total worldwide.  As of this posting, it is the #10 ranked application in the Paid Finance apps category.  I couldn’t have expected better results.  I’ve very excited about all of this, and I’m working on the next update for Debt Freedom, as well as considering what my next application will be.  I hope to have one done very soon.

http://www.jasondaniels.net/debtfree/

Some of you may have known that I was working to develop iPhone applications.  My first application is online:  Debt Freedom.  It is an application that will help folks get out of debt, using the Debt Snowball method popularized by Dave Ramsey.  I’ll be working on updates over the next few weeks.  Let folks know!

If you have been following me on my Facebook status, you know I have been battling my sleeping mask that came with my CPAP machine.  I wore it for two nights and it destroyed my nose (see photo).  I have been wearing a band-aid over the bridge of my nose since, but it is taking it’s own sweet time to heal.

Last night was my first night I would consider OK with the mask, in that it wasn’t leaking all night or causing me pain.  Perhaps I can get used to it, but I am still not sure.

I was first introduced to Ted Dekker several years ago when I read his Black/Red/White Trilogy.  I quickly fell in love with his writing style, and how he drew you into the story, much like my other favorite author, Stephen King.  So when I had a chance to read Kiss, I jumped on it.

The story is very interesting, about the daughter of a politician running for the White House.  When a mysterious accident occurs that results in the loss of 6 months of her memory, the mystery begins.  The story has a little of everything:  adventure, mystery, romance, and even a little bit of “out there”, which is common in Dekker’s books.   The ending has some nice twists, a few surprises, and a satisfying ending.

The book was one of those that I couldn’t put down very easily, and I managed to finish it in about a week of intense reading.  With Dekker being that rare good Christian fiction writer, there are Christian themes under much of the story, but not so much that a non-Christian would be put out by it.  In my mind, he is up there with Peretti in writing great fiction from a Christian viewpoint.  Kiss is no exception, and I think almost anyone would enjoy this book.

I’m not one for New Year Resolutions, other than the last one I kept, which was not to have any more Resolutions, but I am working on doing better at setting goals for myself.  As part of my goal setting for 2009, I’m sharing some of them with my blog friends so that you can encourage, tease, etc., me into accomplishing this.   This is similar to the weight loss contest that Cynthia and I are publicly battling on Facebook.  Knowledge = Accountability.  So here are some of my goals for this year.

To be at 180lbs by May 31st, 2009

This is an extension of my contest with Cynthia.  The 180 doesn’t have much scientific basis (I was around 140-150 in my skinny high school days), but I think it will be a good place to settle in for as a goal, and I think it is reachable by that date.

To run a 5k by December 1st, 2009

This one is a little more of a stretch for me.  I’ve never been a big runner, and have suffered from shin splints ever since playing basketball in high school on a concrete floor.  But I would like to give it a shot.  I want to reach the weight goal first, to reduce the pounding on my legs before I wear them out, and then I will need to find a race, but in looking around, there seem to be plenty to choose from.

To be free of consumer debt by July 31st , 2009

If you didn’t know it, Cynthia and I are big Dave Ramsey folks.  I’m leading my second Financial Peace University class at our church starting next week, and we have been on his Baby Steps plan for the past two years.  We are still on Baby Step 2, but from what we can forecast, we should have our last debt paid off by July.  That will be AWESOME!

To have a regular family Bible study

We have already started this one, and as a family we are reading through the gospel of Mark together, with time for the boys to ask questions and really understand what it is all about.  May take a while, but I need to make sure we keep at it regularly.  With our various schedules it is hard to have it on the same night every week, but I’m hoping that we will settle into an expected routine soon.

Have a special Daddy/Child day for each of my children this year

I want my kids to know that I am there for them and love them, and I do stuff with them each week, but I want this year to make the time to take a day for each of them to do something special with just the two of us.

Well that is all I am going to share for now.  I’ll keep you updated on these as the year progresses.

Well, the verdict is in.  I have been through the testing and diagnosis, and I have Sleep Apnea.  My dad, uncle, and father-in-law all have it, so I knew what I would be facing if it were true.  Nights with the CPAP – A mask that forces pressurized air into your breathing passages so that your throat doesn’t close at night and cut off your breathing.

To be honest, I’m actually relieved.  I haven’t been feeling rested from sleep in some time, and I know my LOUD snoring has been causing problems for Cynthia at night as well.  I’m hoping that getting this diagnosed and treated will make life a little easier around the house and help some with my health.

Anyone else using a CPAP out there in my limited readership?  Any thoughts?

In my continuing hobby of book reviewing, the next book up on the review list is a personal productivity book written by Marcus Buckingham entitled “The Truth About You”.  The book comes with a short DVD and a small notebook (ReMemo Pad) that is used with the principles of the book.

To start with, everything is short in this book.  The DVD is only about 20 minutes long, and consists of the author basically reciting a portion of the book dramatically.  The book is only 110 pages long, and has a lot of blank space and pages to fill even that it.  And the ReMemo pad is way to large to carry around in a pocket as is suggested in the book.

Also, the book is rather bulky, consisting of a paperback book glued into a hard cover that holds the notepad and DVD.  It makes it very hard to carry this around or hold to read.  I finally decided to pull the book out of the “case” and that helped.

As far as the content, it seems rather fluff and shallow.  Mr. Buckingham stresses five points in the book:  1) Performance is always the point.  2) Your strengths aren’t what you are good at, and your weaknesses aren’t what you’re bad at. 3) When it comes to your job, the “What” always trumps the “Why” and the “Who”.  4) You’ll never find the perfect job.  5)  You’ll never turn your weaknesses into strengths.   He coaches to create plans to play to your strengths, with little in the way of letting you know how to go about it.

Overall, I found this book to be lacking in many ways.  There are much better books out there about productivity.

I’m sitting here watching the 4th quarter of the BCS title game (Oklahoma just scored in the 4th to tie it), and I am once again reminded how terrible the current division one system is in determining the national champion.  Why, why, why can’t we have a playoff?  I just don’t understand why this can’t happen, unless (and I think this is the case) the good-old boys in charge of the schools and the BCS just don’t want it.

I can’t believe that a program like Utah’s that has had two undefeated seasons in the past 5 years isn’t really given any consideration.  How USC doesn’t get a shot.  And as much as I hate it (being an Aggie and all), but Texas should probably be the team playing Florida tonight instead of OU.

This is one of the reasons why I just can’t seem to get to involved in College Football anymore.  I just don’t have any faith that they can pick the best team to win anymore.  All I want anymore is chaos in the BCS.  Go Chaos!!

One thing I have been working on this fall is to reduce the amount of television that I have been watching.  I have usually watched several hours of TV a night, but I have found it is just a drain on my productivity.  So I committed to do a few things to start reducing how much I watch.

First, I committed to not add any new programming this TV season.  No new shows.  I’ve stuck fairly close to that commitement, other than I have been watching the new Star Wars Clone Wars animated series with the boys.  But in the past, I may have tried out 5-6 new shows each season to see what I wanted to watch.

Second, I decided that each month, I would take one of the shows on my watch list, and not watch it any longer.  If a show was ending, that could be the show for that month (January is easy, as Survivorman is ending this week).

I’m not planning on eliminating every show I watch, but I want to get down to just a handful of shows that I invest my time in.  Many of the shows I plan on keeping are more educational than entertainment only (I love Mythbusters and other Discovery shows).

Anyone else cutting TV these days?