paint.

(Note: By "paint" and "painting" I mean painting the walls in a room. Not painting a picture. Just in case you were confused.)

Painting is hard.

I used to hate painting because it was just a lot of mindless work. Now I've realized that it's really difficult to get everything perfect. As a result I enjoy it more, but at the same time more frustrated that the result is not ideal. I've learned the following:

1. Eggshell all the way. Flat looks dry & sandy, while anything shinier looks ... well, too shiny.
2. Anything mixed with grey tends to be a nice neutral color -- important for places you rent out. I love dark grey-green bedrooms. For my condo I have 3 different colors on the walls: mostly sand / beige, but a few blue-grey accent walls. If my camera didn't get stolen I would have pictures.
   
3. Good quality paint is usually worth it -- it looks better, goes on better, and you don't usually don't need 2 coats. I use Valspar at Lowe's, but Behr is just as good.
4. Actually good quality everything is worth it. Get good brushes (Perdy) and rollers (Wooster). And when you're done, clean them out good. And for god's sake, do NOT stick the brush all the way into the paint -- no more than 2/3 in, kids!
5. The blue tape works good for door frames and baseboard, as long as they are flat. Run your finger over the tape to stick it down GOOD and it usually works pretty decent. If there's a bunch of old paint / caulk / whatever then your results might vary -- might even be better to paint by hand.
6. Getting the line between the ceiling and the wall is the worst. I've tried different tools, but have settled on a smooth hand and a 2-1/2 inch angled brush. The larger size gives more weight, allowing for a smoother line. Drag the brush horizontally along the line, which will probably leave some unpainted areas underneath the line -- fill these in later with a smaller brush. You may be tempted to use masking tape with this also. Don't bother: the texture on the ceiling will cause the paint to bleed all over the place. The pads work OK for a little bit, but I always dump them in the paint too much and after a few feet it messes up the ceiling. I like just trying to keep a steady hand better.
   
7. Paint light colors first and dark colors later. If you're matching two colors on walls, extend the first coat a bit into the 2nd wall so you can paint just the wall and not the corner.
8. Eggshell is nice because you can touch up after the paint is dry and it'll look like you did it right the first time. So touch touch touch up and keep touching up until it's perfect. And yes, this can be hell if you are even a bit OCD-inclined. At least that's what I've heard.
9. MOST IMPORTANTLY, do not try to remove sprinkler heads. Umm, yeah I did this and water leaked a bit before screwing it back in. Then my dad said that if I actually got it off water would stream out of it with so much pressure that there was no way to get it on. So my place would be ruined. After that I was happy with a little water on the wall.
10. Finally, take your time. Mistakes happen when you're in a rush to finish. I also find it more enjoyable to attempt perfection.

Since I end up relearning half of this stuff every time I paint, it will be nice to refer back to this next time.