tmmorris,
I'm with you on this one. Having gone to the trouble of getting the IMC rating I do intend to actually use it. At the very least I believe that given the choice of scud-running at low level or climbing through cloud to fly VFR on top it will be a good deal safer doing the latter.
I'm very aware of the significant difference between IMC and IR training and skill levels since the friend who owns the aircraft I often fly is just completing the process of moving from IMC to IR and I've seen just how much extra work goes into it, even for somebody who used his IMC constantly.
As a new IMC holder I know that I have a very rudimentary set of instrument flying skills, but I don't want to let those skills atrophy. Using them (with instructor from time-to-time) seems like a good idea to me.