I was surfing the ol' web this morning looking for a Firewire cable that is less than 6 feet long; I only need 1-2 feet to reach my iBook.
I stumbled upon this neat looking
retractable Firewire cable at Macally. May be just the ticket unless someone has a better idea...
And this
external Firewire/USB 2.0 enclosure at Cooldrives (thanks for the link KPS) has a third Firewire port under the power switch on the front of the unit. That makes connecting to the drive a lot more convenient than having to plug-in to a rear port or leaving a cable connected at all times. I'm assuming that the enclosure can be stood on its side in addition to laying flat.
Now I just have to decide which drive to buy...
This
Western Digital 200GB 7200RPM/8MB drive seems like a Real Deal at $130 after rebates.