postgresql and domain sockets

["Monique Y. Herman" <spam@bounceswoosh.org>]

What have I missed?

( postgresql 7.3.4-9 on unstable )

I just installed this package.  When I try to do, well, anything, it
says:

psql: could not connect to server: No such file or directory
        Is the server running locally and accepting
        connections on Unix domain socket "/var/run/postgresql/.s.PGSQL.0"?

Here's what *is* in the directory after firing up the app:

home:~# ls -l /var/run/postgresql/
total 4.0K
srwxrwxrwx    1 postgres postgres        0 Dec 15 00:38 .s.PGSQL.5432=
-rw-------    1 postgres postgres       28 Dec 15 00:38 .s.PGSQL.5432.lock

I see no .s.PGSQL.0, so I guess the obvious question is, how do I get
one?

The comments in pg_hba.conf say:

# This default configuration allows any local user to connect as himself
# without a password, either through a Unix socket or through TCP/IP;
# users on other machines are denied access.

I poked around in /usr/doc/postgresql as well as in /etc/postgresql ,
but I seem to have missed something important here.  Attempting to run
initdb states that I already have files in place.

home:/var/lib/postgres/data/base# ls
1/  16975/

Any help would be greatly appreciated!
-- 
monique