She was enthusiastic about paint. She liked matte, she liked semi-gloss, she liked glossy. But every paint has its purpose and she was looking for a water-based, eco-friendly, semi-gloss black paint for the doors in her own pavilion - so crisp. She set off feeling quite efficient to the paint store in Marrakech. (Now the paint store is a most generous description -- more like a hardware store with a counter where paint could be purchased. You asked for what you needed and someone would scurry around behind the counter and find it for you.)
Hmmmm.... she found that customers at the paint store were fighting for a single book with paint chips. The blogging girl did not like to fight - she was a pacifist by nature, you see. So she waited. And waited and waited. After some time she thought it best to start elbowing and snatching with the rest of them. Finally, with a sweat beaded brow, the paint chip book was in her trembling hands. Her finger tapped on the right black and she made her request.
But you see.......low VOC paint does not exist in Marrakech, it seems. And it is not possible to get black glossy or semi-gloss in a water-based paint. Seeing her shock and dismay, the head Moroccan honcho behind the counter leaned forward and said, "Oh silly foreign woman, simply mix oil-based matte and glossy together, and you will have the paint that you wish. Why are you bothering us with such trivial matters..........?" (Well, okay, he really only said the part about the mixing of the paints, but the blogging girl had an awfully good hunch about the rest.)
So she went home lugging gallons of matte and glossy paint. And she quickly assembled architect husband's small crew of men who were busy hammering and sawing and cementing and gave them instructions.
Two days later..........Voila, the world's blotchiest doors everywhere (sigh, she was so gullible) and no paint in shining armor in sight..........
