Hi, I'm new here. Well, I've been following the forum for about a year, but lame n00b rule means I can't post anywhere else yet 
I operate btcback.com which is currently just a free Electrum (http://http://ecdsa.org/electrum/) server. If you haven't tried Electrum yet, you should. It's easier to use than the official client and much faster to set up or start up. This is because it does not download the blockchain. Instead, it relies on a server to handle the blockchain and talking to the Bitcoin network. Your wallet/secret keys are stored on your computer and the server never has access to them. It also has some nice features to help protect you from losing your wallet if your computer crashes.
I operate btcback.com which is currently just a free Electrum (http://http://ecdsa.org/electrum/) server. If you haven't tried Electrum yet, you should. It's easier to use than the official client and much faster to set up or start up. This is because it does not download the blockchain. Instead, it relies on a server to handle the blockchain and talking to the Bitcoin network. Your wallet/secret keys are stored on your computer and the server never has access to them. It also has some nice features to help protect you from losing your wallet if your computer crashes.
Does your client offer mining capability? I was reading that CPU mining isn't too effective, but I would like the opportunity to do so if I choose.