What is the big deal about the grid layout anyway? If you aren't trying to design a site that has ultra-dense-content on every page like nytimes.com, what's the point? I mean, does everyone have to jock Khoi Vinh so hard? For most sites that aren't so heavy in content, floating content smartly and giving text ample breathing room is usually a sufficient starting point.

The grid system reminds me of Ansel Adams' zone system for photography... it's good for teaching students about the elements of visual balance, but ultimately it's a pedagogical scaffold. IMO when the grid system and the zone system become a heavily used crutch for your design and art, that's when what is created tends toward stodgy and boring.