That's the only explanation. At first I thought maybe it was just a random toy-sucking vacuum, which had an occasional affinity for nail clippers and the DVD remote. But then, today, I picked up my purse to carry it outside while I watched an impromptu puppet show (so nice to know that I'm not the only one in the family with the occasional urge to shove a stick into the nether regions of a plastic dinosaur) and my phone rang. Turns out the answering service at work had been trying to reach me for the better part of an hour, and my phone just hadn't rung (rang? ringed?). It was a non-emergency emergency call, so that's a good thing, but still. I'd prefer my phone to ring when someone calls it. I'm strange that way, I suppose.

So after the call, I checked - and sure enough, I have 3-4 bars everywhere in my living room, except on the floor at the base of the loveseat. Thus, a black hole. It's good to know these things.