I use Dashboard, and don't have a problem with the strange metaphor at all. I have always thought of it as something like a drawer in the desk or a sheet of paper tacked up on the wall - out of the way of my normal work, but instantly available whenever I need the stuff on it.

For reference, I use it for a specific set of things that I want instant-access to but don't want to always have "on my desk" - calculator, calendar, weather, and load monitor. In the case of the calculator and the load monitor, I specifically want them to be visible over top of my normal windows, so I can see whatever window it is that prompted me to pull them out.

On the other hand, the new Dashboard arrangement in Lion (i.e. as a new space, off to the left) actually fits your metaphor pretty well - it's just area on your desk, that maybe you don't go to very often. (Still, though, I want it to be instantly available, so I switched it back to the old way.)