i dont think so, i dont like the way ms limists you to these mundane details either, but you can easily customize your today screen to have shortcut button. I forget what the program name is, but i am pretty sure it is in the download section of aximsite, and i know it is free
if you want to really customize your today screen, i would reacommend ppx-all-in-one
http://www.ppx3k.com/index.php?page=ppx
using this software, you can pretty much costomize your today screen to anything you want it.
look at the pics from this thread for more info on ppx
http://www.aximsite.com/boards/showt...&highlight=ppx