I am so happy to have stumbled upon this post... very informative, and very amusing. I love the way you write! You've got a new follower here.

I've dabbled with watercolor off and on most of my life. It really is amazing how different supplies will change the look of a painting. I just convinced myself to upgrade from my "cheapy-cheapy" tubes of paint to this little Prima pallet of pans and it's already amazing me how much better the pigments are. Up next, I'm going to have to find myself some cotton paper.
Looking forward to reading more of your posts!