Android :: Using ListView Without ListActivity

I want to create a custom list view in my application. I want it to lay over the top of the application screen, with portions of the screen not filled by the listview showing the underlying application. I've been reading about ListActivity, how it can be started to handle item selected callbacks. I've also read about people simply inserting onClick handlers into the listview as it is drawn. I'm trying to decide the best way to proceed. Is it "dirty" to attach onClick handlers to the rows of a listview? It doesn't seem like the best approach, for instance, it only handles Touch Mode, not the DPAD clicks. This approach doesn't seem like what the architects had in mind. On the other hand, I don't see a good way that I can start a list activity and still have access to all the application variables I need. Do I pass the application in the context and refer back to it from even handlers after casting the context back to it's original class?