I apologize Elisabeth!

It's different. I really enjoy different personally, I don't like the "norm" persay. I think you've got a good idea going. Like I said though, I think it's just a bit big. It may just be me, but that's my thing. I like a minimal presentation that works. Simplicity is beauty to me, but it may not be to others.
However, you do make a good point, without the welcome message, it'd probably be a lot better. I usually look at my pages through a window of about 800x600 to get the best idea on the minimal side of the resolution scale. This way I know, even the older computers out there can still effectively use the menus and forums easily.