LOL!!!
the problem was the All in One Adsense and YPN plugin i activated. it left the space for adds but i hadn’t yet configured it so no adds were showing. LOL!
i’ve spent almost two days trying to figure this thing out and to find out that it was a plugin (that i really don’t intend to use) is just sooooooooo damn STUPID! lol!
oh well, at least i came out on top (of m own stupidity)!