apt-get hanging

[Paul Kaplan]

While installing a package with Adept, it hung forcing me to kill it.
After that Adept wouldn't launch again, except in noral user mode where it 
won't allow me to change any packages.

I discovered that I needed to:
sudo dpkg --configure -a before I could use the CLI with apt-get.

But it is still hanging while trying to setup gstreamer0.8-caca

How can I get past this block so I can install/uninstall packages again?
TIA
Paul