Dear Catherine … … it looks to me that you are this kind of person who likes to make easy stuff complicated.
Why on earth do you want to model a piece like this in perspective mode ? Why on earth do you even want to work in perspective mode at all ?
And if you do intrusive insist to work in perspective mode, how difficult can it be to toggle numpad 5 to switch back and forth ?
btw Zooming is always messed up in perspective mode, it has nothing to do with you.
