Okay, here's what i worked on all of yesterday. I created several layouts, but abandoned them midway because i hated them. This one's okay... but I really don't like the buttons and the banner needs to be changed. Something else seems off to me, but i don't know what it is...

Spent about 12 hours thinking of ideas. I liked [link] 's idea to put a graphic on the left, and really liked the squares as a splitter. So, i created my own, and came up with the menu and top and everything out of my own head. You can see it in action here:

[link]

It takes a while for me to load because i'm on 56k and the graphics are kind of large. I learned how to set it on the top and the left from the deviant Imalith. Awesome webdesigner. Check out her link: [link]

Anyways, let me know what you think i should change/add and what you like/hate. It will help me learn how to make better layouts.