That was easy.

I searched for some time before I figured out the easiest thing. It's the easy things that get you because no one has posted about them before - everyone already knows.

So when you have a serious dilemna that no one on the web has ever encountered, you're usually missing something simple.

I discovered there was a difference between adjusting grid lines and level lines by their 3d and 2d representations. Many people have faced that one before, and I noticed that sometimes I was adjusting the 2d and sometimes the 3d. I used to think it didn't matter, but it does. Usually what you're after is the 2d just to get some linework out of your way. But, how do I switch from editting the 2d or the 3d!? Some of my lines had a 2d grip and some didn't. And for the life of me I couldn't figure out how to edit just the 2d as I should have been doing all along.

Eventually I found an aside by someone that set me on the road to recovery.

Click the little "3d" indicator. It will toggle to "2d" and then you can edit your lines without adjusting the actual "3d" locations of grid and level lines. The 3d locations affect what views levels and grids appear in. 2d affects the linework you see in a specific view only.

Whew!