Well, as to what can be used as an improvised weapon, the last pages of CW have these lines relating to improvised weapons.

Quote Originally Posted by Complete Warrior: Page 159
If an object weighs up to 2 pounds, a Medium Character can treat it as a light weapon. Objects weighing between 2 and 10 pounds are one-handed weapons for Medium characters, and objects weighing 11 to 50 pounds are two-handed weapons. Halve these numbers for every size category below Meedium, and double them for every size category above Medium
Not sure how much it helps, and I think I'm too entrenched in my position to contribute meaningfully, but it seems like it could be of use.