Making a sow’s ear out of a silk purse??? HELP

I am seriously worried in case I am trying to make a sow’s ear (my new-born site) out of a silk purse (WordPress).

I have been assured that “almost anything is possible” with WordPress. I know this ‘anything’ is framed by the web etc, but still it feels like it may be saying something like: it is possible to make a quad-bike out of a Formula 1 Ferarri. Technically, maybe, but a rather wasteful exercise all round!

So I need some advice and don’t know where better to go than here.

Firstly I don’t think I really need The Loop. I understand The Loop to simply be a chain of “Posts” designed to be viewed in chronological order. (Please not detailed tech info apart from that necessary for a clear and accurate presentation. Thanks.)

I want a vehicle, (and am currently starting to use/investigate WordPress) to enable me to publish information, as I develop it, in a form that is pre-structured by a human being (me!). This is in contrast to an IT/AI approach that adopts various methodologies and theories of information structuring, (tags, keywords, frequency of use etc etc etc). I am NOT seeking as a primary objective to either become a part of the ‘Blogosphere’ or of the ‘social web’. If what I do becomes linked then obviously that would be a compliment but it is not my primary objective. NB I am meaning NO DISRESPECT WHATSOEVER to any blogger or social web developer or user by any of this. I just want to do things slightly differently.

1. It appears to me that, in WordPress, Pages are the device that would provide a structure best suited to my intentions. However, WordPress does not provide RSS feeds for Pages. Pages can also not be linked to Post categories etc, creating a sort of information wall and subclass of posting.

2. The navigation in WordPress is designed for the Loop, archives are chronologically ordered and only include Posts not Pages. Navigation does not readily allow, for instance, for sidepanels or whatever, to display more detailed information on primary navigation choices ie in the normal manner of navigation via menu and submenus, on what seem to be becoming called W1 type sites.

I recognise that most, if not all of these issues, are addressable within the WordPress environment but may well need a fair bit of “tinkering” with php, XHTML, MySQL etc code. Whilst I am prepared to learn something more than I do of these matters may aims don’t include becoming a programmer. On the other hand, fees I have been quoted for undertaking such work, as I had expected, are open ended and at a “significant” high hourly based rate. Clearly I would not be using WordPress personally if I had the budget to specify and commission a software house.

So the question is: Am I trying to make a Sow’s Ear from a Silk Purse? Is there something out there “similar” to WordPress (user friendly-iss and cheap-ish) but more suited to my idiosyncratic aims? I have also uploaded BBpress to link to my WordPress site. I don’t want to spend weeks or even month’s of work investing in something that ultimately is not the right thing.

I would really appreciate any assurance, reassurance, disuassion or advice that anyone out there is willing to share on all this.

Thanks for reading so far

Ahhh