i know all you crafty types that watch way too much HGTV will eventually want to paint your rooms by yourself someday - what could be easier, right? well, here are a few tips i've recently learned to make that process go so much easier: *if you know a painter, call them & hire them. trust me. *cats and dogs do not make good assistants, no matter how much they beg. *send husband out on an obscure mission before you begin, so there will be no interruptions or mental record of what may transpire. *see #1 *a plastic dropcloth is absolutely essential, and at the same time very slippery. *paint barefoot, so should you step in a drip, you will know immediately, before tracking it throughout the house. *dust cobwebs off the walls. it is acceptable, however, to leave that chunk of god-knows-what on the wall IF the previous painter became deceased in the house just after painting that wall. you don't even have to guess at what it may be. your mind will figure it out - just paint over it and move on. *the white paint you bought to finish a project you started 3 years ago may not be the SAME white you are now using. it may not even be the same finish. plan on buying pictures to cover. *be certain the space you left to wiggle into to paint that one corner is large enough for your post-menopausal ass. be honest here. things may fall. *remember to have fun. also remember to chose your playlist wisely. should the stream of songs jump over to "old boyfriend playlist" change it immediately. before you give in to great heaving sobs about the one that now owns a house painting/construction firm. *see #1. *know that the spirit of Lucille Ball will, at some point, come for a visitation. just take a break till she gets bored and goes across the street to your neighbor, who is attempting to use rapelle gear to climb a tree with a chainsaw in his hand. *do not, above all else, plan a dinner party on the very same day as this simple project, unless you have seen #1. so far, that's about all i can think of...but i'm only on the first coat. learn by this, i beg you.