help with new install and file permisions

I have wordpress set up on a ubuntu server running apache. Everything works but one thing (actually two but I will put the other in another post). When I tried to upload an image for the header or background, I got a blank picture and no option to crop. I eventually figured out that the permissions on the folder that wordpress was in (…wp-content) had everything but write for everyone and applied it recursively. I tried again and got a little further in that wordpress was able add the uploads folder but now that folder also had all the permissions but everyone write. The wp-content folder had nobody as the owner and group, but wordpress could not add the 2011 folder. when I granted write permissions to everyone on the upload folder it created 2011 folder but it also was missing write for everyone. I went through this twice more before the final folder was created and had permissions and it works now, but if wordpress has to make another folder I am going to have the same problem. I thought wordpress used nobody as it’s user so it should be able to write to these folders but it does not.

Any help?