Load bearing wall??? Can I take this down? W/ PICTURES.

Hello, we moved into this home three years ago, the house is about 12 or 13 years old. The dining room ceiling has a crack, about a foot long. The room is directly below a bathroom and my first thought was either water damage or a weight problem. However, there is no moisture on the ceiling and when I put a four foot level on the ceiling, it's not unusually bowed and I'm wondering if this could just be natural settling. The ceiling does not seem like sheetrock to my very untrained eye, the outer coating is like a very thick eggshell. This outer coating is the portion that is cracking, the material just underneath seems fine, and I'm wondering if this outer shell just is not flexible enough to handle the settling of the house. Any advice for what else I should look for, what this material may be, and the best way to repair? I'd like to just scrape away the cracked area and putty or paint over it, but if there may be another problem I don't just want to cover it up. I'm not terribly experienced with removing and replacing sheetrock, or patching sheetrock, or perhaps the better way to phrase it is my past experiences are terrible. Thoughts or suggestions? Thanks, Brett [ATTACH]24880[/ATTACH][ATTACH]24881[/ATTACH][ATTACH]24882[/ATTACH][ATTACH]24883[/ATTACH][ATTACH]24884[/ATTACH][ATTACH]24885[/ATTACH]

Hello, I have some minor cracks and some areas that I scraped and patched that don't look 100% perfect on my plaster ceilings. They are all minor imperfections. I tried the "textured ceiling paint" route myself and it was a complete and total disaster! The sand textured paint was about as thick as joint compound, and with the textured roller, it started to splatter EVERYWHERE! I stopped after about 30 seconds, and spent the next 15 minutes cleaning up! Anyway, I was wondering if anyone had any "tricks" to hide minor imperfections on plaster ceilings. They are white now, and I will re-paint them white. What kind of paint finish should I use? Eggshell? Flat ceiling? Which one is best for hiding imperfections? Also, will it help if I use a thicker nap roller than standard, something like 1/2" nap or thicker? Will that help conceal as well? Finally, what if I use a textured roller with regular (non-textured) paint? Will it still splatter and go all over the place? Is there a certain kind of textured roller to use that will leave just a touch of texture of roughness, but not be a huge mess and splatter all over the walls? What do you all recommend? Thanks, V