new layout. Options

[Smarmosaur]

the first thing i've done in a while. i took a break.
i don't know what my goal was here, what i wanted it to look like, what was going to be included, etc. all i know is that i was somehow inspired by Fixtatik's design.
anyways. opinions/suggestions? bad or good.
http://www.createblog.com/layouts/code.php?id=30171

note:best viewed on a 1024x768 screen, but it's designed for any size. i had to use a set size for the picture in IE, because max-width/height wasn't working in IE.

[Smarmosaur]

hm. i randomly/constantly make sure the ad isn't hidden.
so far, it always shows in firefox, but a few disappear in IE. since there's an image on top, instead of it being an actual background image, i sort of expected that to happen every now and then.
also, i messed with the friends image sizes quiet a bit until i finally settled on the simple 50x50. i guess it's just personal preference. :]

anyways. thanks for the comments. this was my first "clean/modern" layout, and i was worried it wouldn't come out as expected. at first, i thought the content area didn't have enough, but i think i'm fine with it now. i'll probably submit it tomorrow.