Quick boot with Ubuntu/Xubuntu

I was wondering if there was a way to speed up the boot time with Ubuntu/Xubuntu. I would like, if possible to strip down the load time and hardware Ubuntu uses. I am not a total novice (I've done partitions, dual boots, that sort of thing), but pretty close, and obviously I've never tried to tackle something like this.

I only need basic system functions. My idea was that I could use Ubuntu as a sort of writing platform and so it would be advantageous if I could turn off my internet connection, or better yet set it up so that it never loads at all, in order to minimize distractions. I also have a fairly high-powered laptop, but I don't really need full graphics resolution to write. I would like to be able to access OpenOffice and maybe some kind of music playing software (although, I could use an MP3 player instead) and not much else...maybe a dictionary program. I would, however, still need to access my flash drive, so that I could work with files on that. Is there a way to strip down Ubuntu to do just these few basic functions, preferably in such a way that my boot time was sped up. I basically am looking to create a simple word processing machine within my computer. Not sure what build would be best for this or how to approach it. Should I do a full partition or a Wubi-type load? Thanks, I appreciate any insight.