Too bad your router is giving you issues. I had some problems with my connection too. Bought a wireless LinkSys thingie recently. That one is OK. It seems my line has hickups, but the LinkSys is spoofing the connection, so it fixed the issue.
I am cutting back on IRC. But I do still frequent some dutch channels. Idling in IRC and gaming don't mix. 
I'll try to give IRC a shot, but don't expect me to hangout 24/7. 
Thanks for the recommendations. I'll have a look at it. Mike was always a great skinner. Don't tell him that. 
Going to look for some dark suites. Maybe the two you recommended are part of one. 
Obviously I haven't done any skinning lately. I wasn't great anyway, so nobody missed it. 
Time for coffee...