title: mysql won't start OSX -- Can't connect through socket
body: <pre><code>ERROR 2002 (HY000): Can't connect to local MySQL server through socket '/tmp/mysql.sock' (2)
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  <p>That's what I get when I run $mysql (or sudo !! right after...) I have the preferences pane installed and have in the past had no problem starting and stopping it. I got this error and upon checking the preferences pane, it was not running. Hitting "start server" caused it to prompt me for my password, and then hang for a couple seconds, but not starting the server.</p>
  
  <pre><code>mysqld: Can't change dir to '/usr/local/mysql-5.1.51-osx10.6-x86_64/data/' (Errcode: 13)
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>120627 16:11:22 [ERROR] Aborting</p>
  
  <p>is what I get when I run $mysqld from the command line. I've looked at half a dozen other posts on this topic, but none has really seemed to apply (so far) since I did nothing to my machine's configurations today, and mysql was running fine this morning. </p>
  
  <p>Are there logs I could check? Are there my.conf settings I should investigate? If I sacrifice a lamb while installing cx_Oracle, will the database gods be appeased?</p>