[whpalmer4]

To me i'd like some sort of Calendar integration thing happening, so what back my original question: is iCal the only solution? Calendar within OF? iCal+Gcal syncing?

iCal is the only thing supported by OF, though you may be able to get something else cobbled together that uses iCal as a conduit. If you do, write it up and post it so the next person looking for that can take advantage of your experience.

After completing step 2, 3 & 4 were displayed under my Remaining>Context.... but only step 3 would be displayed under my Next Actions under the context look. The steps 3&4 and then 7&8 were switched to parallel, respectively. Yet under next actions both steps 3 & 4 wouldn't be seen, only step 3. And step 4 still wouldn't be visible until step 3 was completed under the next actions view in contexts.

Yes, if you are using the next actions view, you only get one next action per project or action group. A single action list will give you all the available next actions in the display, but a parallel project/action group (or a sequential one, obviously) will only give you the first one. If you view by available, you'll get more choices. If one of the choices in a parallel group or project has a bit more priority, urgency, or whatever, you can move it to the top to have it be shown as the first next action.

I do have that perspective button in the toolbar, the one that has a blue square behind a glass looking square...but am looking for something more personal where I can just click on the perspective in the toolbar and that particular perspective just pops up, such as my next actions perspective.

The first time I read this part of your response, my reaction was along the lines of "what is he talking about?!?" :-) It was only after looking at the customize toolbar options again that I figured out what you had going on.

You have the button for the Perspectives window installed in your toolbar. Instead of doing that, you can put a button for an individual perspective in the toolbar. Just look at the choices in View->Customize Toolbar and drag the button corresponding to the perspective you want in the toolbar to the toolbar. All the perspectives you have saved should be listed there, by default with an icon just like the one you have in your toolbar. The icon can be customized for each one by opening the Perspectives window, then clicking on the little triangle on the icon at the bottom left to show you an array of choices, or click the Choose... button to select your own artwork.