I ended up being busier than I had planned today, I did just get the 'base code' for the layout finished though. I'll combine that with the overall MSN Groups style wrapper to finish your theme and have it set up in a way where you don't have to worry about the layout at all, just the inner content. I'll get it all finished tomorrow.
I've made some good progress today. The general code for pages has been added to the theme, I'll explain how to go about working with pages whenever you come online today. I also have the homepage—complete with updates integrated with wordpress—setup. I'll show you how to go about doing all that as well. Theme wise I just need to finish the sidebar, which isn't super important for you to start working (I'll create you some buttons and stuff, code in stats, etc.) I also intend to set some CSS up for you for your tables to make them easiest to use.