Well, Hollowfox, as a veteran of a few years' living solo, I'll tell you never, ever to underestimate the value of a good massage. Whenever I have an overwhelming need for physical contact -- which happens, since I make my living sitting in front of a computer for hours and hours and hours and can go for days, literally, without encountering another actual, physical human except the UPS guy who's a little short for me and anyway married -- I just find a good massage therapist (we are not talking about "massage" as in parlor) and just go flop on his or her table for an hour or so.

As I told my mother the last time she asked, I would not have re-married if I'd discovered massage in time. It feeds the skin hunger without the whittling down of your soul that unhappy relationships require.

Oh, and here's a big ol' Rocky Mountain hug to you as well. Try to take the gallstones approach to all this stuff: This will surely pass.

WW