Evidently there is a secret channel in the common household upright vacuum cleaner, between the rotating brush and the place where the flexible hose plugs in, a tube that can become plugged up with Carpet Fluff, human hair, and those fuzzies that just naturally migrate off the felines in our lives.

After extensive whacking when the instrument failed to suck properly, I discovered this secret place, and promptly pulled out enough fluff to leave eris_raven with massive hairballs for a week. Like a fool, I thought this was all, and tried to vacuum once more. Alas, the vacuum cleaner started leaving streaks of black sock fuzzies on the floor. So I upended the instrument (safely powered down) and detached the hose once more, only to be showered with grit, dust, and shards of the greenware lamp that Miss Raven lately shattered.

Much muffled cussing, a wrongly shaped piece of purple plastic, some tweezers, and finally an old toothbrush later, I think I managed to clear out the problematical passage.

The floor is actually becoming clean, much to my amazement and delight. Now, we'll see what happens when I try to move the bed...