My work has a very over protective firewall. We use Google Apps for our email and so can access the web interface just fine.

I use my laptop at work however (MacBook connected via WiFi through my AirPort Express), and prefer to use Sparrow to check my email. The problem is that our firewall blocks whatever port Gmail's IMAP server uses.

I'm trying to figure out the easiest way to work around this. I'm guessing I'll need to use an SSH tunnel or VPN, but I'm looking for specific instructions.

I'd prefer to only route the IMAP stuff around the firewall as opposed to using a VPN full time. I have two computers at home (one PC, one Mac Mini) that are always on and could probably act as a server if needed.