bayareafrancy - as has been written here quite often, you sometimes don't get the best advice at paint stores. Trust the guys on this forum who paint for a living. I did stress using a dry brush with the waterborne. I learned this was best when once when I went to paint, the brush I wanted to use wasn't completely dry from a previous washing but I went ahead and used it. The paint really gummed up on me fast. Since then I use only a bone dry brush. It is true that the waterborne paint gums up on the brush fast, sometimes as quickly as 30 minutes. Then you start to leave brush strokes. When that happens to me, I just start with a clean, dry brush. I have a working rotation of about 8 brushes in various sizes and shapes so I can always find a dry one. Chinex brushes work well, but are hard to find around where I live. I ordered mine online at "thepaintstore.com". I got Coronas. You'll be happy with the Impervo. I use the SW equivalent - ProClassic. I wished I had taken the time to practice on some scrap lumber before I started using the ProClassic. I painted a few six paneled doors (vertical) with trim before I started to get the hang of it. But when I got the sags and drips, I just sanded them out when the paint was dry and lightly touched them up and you can't even see the mistake. If you can, practice first, esp. if you're doing vertical surfaces. If you're doing horizontal surfaces, you will have instant results.

I'll get flamed for saying this, but... Divorce is SOOOOOO much harder to deal with than death. My mom always told me that and now, having talked with several women who experienced both death of a spouse and divorce of a spouse, I have no more doubts. When they die, you get sympathy cards and tasty casseroles and warm hugs. When they divorce you, there's very little sympathy. When they die, you have to learn to live alone and cope the best you can but you have memories of good times to sustain you. When it's a divorce, you have to learn to live alone and you ALSO have to deal with the agony of rejection, abandonment, disappointment and figure out how to make peace with the fact that the marriage you invested your heart and soul in - failed. When it's loss by death, at least you have sweet memories to hang onto. When it's a divorce, all those memories through all those years get injected with a toxic hit of poison, with comments such as, "You know, I don't think I ever did really love you..." My mom was divorced after 28 years. It was very very hard on her but she survived and the rest of her long life was happy and joyful and sweet and good. My dad did the same thing as yours; walked out so he could take up with someone new. I was divorced after 24 years. It was very very hard but I survived and now I'm married to a good man and his life's purpose is to make me happy. Took six years to get here, but it's pretty nice. My thoughts and prayers are with your Mom. I hope she gets through this okay. Rose

I dress for myself, I wear what I like and what makes me feel good. I must be doing something right from the compliments I get. I wear a lot of costume jewelry, not at the same time of course. I have a lot of clothes and enjoy mixing them up and I wear hats/caps. One of these day when my confidence is through the roof I will good enough to wear one of my fedoras....maybe.

Your responses to me in the posting "Baggage" has been helpful. I am the wife of the man who posted "Baggage". My biggest struggle right now is my husband forcing me (that is how it feels) to spend individual time with his son, while our marriage is in such turmoil. It seems like our marriage is conditional on me doing this. My husband and I have a daughter together and I have done things with them both, but he is only focused on my doing things with his son alone.