I'll be doing away with the dashboard interface, but that doesn't mean I'll be taking away the functionality. It's important to make that distinction. I think that there are better ways to package what you need than the dashboard way.

Functionally, the interface, whatever it is, needs to provide you with two things: A list of recent posts, and a list of comments.

Let's refine your specifications.

The general idea of a reverse chrono list is clear, but what precisely do you mean by having it "all laid out and expanded nicely for reading"? Bodies visible? Comment trees below post? Or to approach it another way, what's lacking in the recent post list to the left?

The comments view is more vexing. There are several ways to present comments. One way is like posts, a reverse chrono dump. You could navigate your way from the comment title to the thread of which it's a part.

Then there's the focused comments-to-me list, that is, the list of comments to your posts. Or to your comments. Or anywhere on a thread you started. Or another thread--optionally monitor interesting threads?

It's not that I don't think that lists of posts and comments aren't a good idea. It's more like an embarrassment of riches of ideas.