I ended up buying a USB wireless adapter. It was a quick and inexpensive solution, but it's not an elegant solution. The adapter does stick out the side and I have to be careful about where I place the computer to avoid hitting it. Not a big deal if you work off a desk, but I like using the macbook on my lumpy couch. Plus, for some reason my cat loves rubbing his face against it - which probably isn't a issue for you as long as you don't babysit my cat for me.

I've already replaced a fan, and the hard drive on this system, so I'm past worrying about opening the case. However, it just kills me to spend $80-90 on a wireless card when I need to save that money to replace the power supply at least once a year.