BA5 - stress!

I am slowly coming to grips with Maya, very slowly indeed. But my work is paying off! i found a really helpful video on UV mapping here. Working slowly and steadily so far i have created this :

Granted its not great but it is a start! Before i got that done i realized the original shape was wonky ( i really dont know how but it was) and i had to fix that, re do things and start again. I realized this when i was trying to UV map that section, the UV looked a little strange and then i realized that there was some shading onto the sides of the object, which i know is not a good thing. Well, it is fixed now! I havent made much more progress on my chair; im thinking about putting that to one side and concentrating on the desk.  I fear that i could rush things and in the end produce two not very good models.  The chair is a tricky one for me to build   but i am trying! I think concentrating on the desk and creating some awesome textures for it would be an ideal course of action. I would rather make one good thing than two poor things! 

this is the texture i am using:

I wanted an old worn wooden effect for the desk. so i mixed a wood texture and an old dry wall texture together and adjusted the brightness/contrast. Later on, at the top of the desk, i am going to add some more details like a coffee mug stain and maybe some more discoloration.

With the weather lately, it has become increasingly difficult to go out and do anything never mind going to uni. Which has been closed due to the weather of ice and snow.  Its lucky i have everything i need on my laptop to work otherwise i would have some serious trouble!