EVERYBODY KNOWS THIS IS NOWHERE: My social graces are anything but graceful. I’ve never been a social butterfly – more like a bristly caterpillar trying to escape people for all its many legs are worth.

Gospel truth. As a kid, I literally aspired to be a hermit, residing in some mountain cave, just me and my pet lizards. Must have been Native American blood egging me on.

My cave dwelling aspirations ran dry when the old-fashioned fur-vested hermit image faded from comical popularity. I did get a latter-day resurgence of escapist desire.