hugs.

Are you a hugger? Slate has an interesting article today from a vehement non-hugger.

I am a hugger. I'm worse after a couple glasses of wine, too. Sometimes I even devolve into a snuggler. (Though I could totally be converted to the double-cheek kiss, or just the single-cheek kiss as my girlfriends in New York do.) However, I can respect that lots of people are not. The only thing more awkward than the dead-fish handshake is the dead-fish hug. The half-assed, patting-the-back, oh-god-we're-doing-this semi-embrace. Yuck.

The thing I don't like about this article is that she's made me feel like a needy puppy, pressing myself on everyone around me. Look, I know those people, and they are annoying. I don't like being lumped into one big category of HUGGERS. I try to read people's body language and emotions, and I respect the non-huggers out there. Is the onus on the hugger or the hug-ee to deflect the embrace? I'm not trying to tongue kiss you! Now come give me a squeeze.