HELP NEEDED: Problem with removing external device

I've just tried to remove my SD memory card reader from the USB port on my Mac. But for some reason it didn't want to play. The icon is still on my desktop, and the lights are still lit up on the reader. Now, all I can do with the desktop is open up programs from the dock. I can't use any desktop items, or the toolbar at the top. The mouse is on the timer-wheel thing. Basically...

HELP! Please?!

Shutting down/restarting has no effect whatsoever, and neither does just removing the reader. I'm still left with a desktop I can't use, and an annoying colour wheel.

What can I do to get things back to normal?

Any help is very much appreciated.
Thanks in advance.

Did you try to cmd+click>eject it?I know this sounds stupid, but I didn't know how to do this until a few days ago... :headphone

did you unmount it first? or did you just unplug?
-chris

try hard drivelications:utilities:disk utility...and repair your disk permissions. if you can't get to this, try booting to the OS X installation disk. this also has disk utility on it, and can be ran from the bar up at the top of it.

Yes I did right click, but I didn't even get a menu up, I couldn't use anything other than the dock.

Yes I did unmount it before unplugging it. That's what caused the problem in the first place.

As for disk permissions, I did not think of that one.

Doesn't matter now anyway. I was stuck with it like that for 3 hours. I then leave the computer on over night, come back, and everything is fine again.

Odd, very odd.
Thanks anyways folks.