That line about "finer grit makes the base look slick" is the part that sticks with me. I see this same thing all over, not just paint. People keep pushing everything smoother and shinier because it feels like progress, like smoother always means better. But smooth and slick are not the same thing, and slick is what you get when nothing has anything to grab onto. Watch how caulk fails on a wiped-down surface or how a patch lets go when the wall was too polished under it. Same story, the base was too pretty to hold. That detail is what decides it, not what the counter guy says.

Wait you were literally stabbing a hole through a 1900 year old brooch to hold your work shirts?? That catch plate part is sending me, like the Romans had no idea their fancy jewelry would end up as a shirt clip in someone's laundry rotation. Phil is a real one for catching that before you did actual damage.