OKAY!  i figured it out! 

 

miss nancy wins the prize!  some IDIOT should have checked the render settings... and make sure 'shadows' were turned on...!!!  i did that, and lo and behold, the AO i expected on the fingers against the skin magically appeared!

::zonk!::

 

(now to find out who turned the shadows and stuff OFF, so i can hurt him....)

 

but seriously!  need them basic, start-from-scratch, slow-step-by-slow-step instruction tutorials for these things!

 

thanks a bunch, guys!