A.A. Milne, creator of Winnie the Pooh, once wrote an entire piece about pen nibs.
What is a pen nib? Back when dinosaurs roamed the earth and dad jokes were cool, pens were dipped into an inkwell, rather than being filled with ink. The “nib” was the metal tip of the pen. It could be replaced when it wore out, sort of like Gillette razor blades (but probably more environmentally friendly).
Why in the world would a distinguished author like Mr. Milne write about something as mundane as pen nibs? Apparently because he liked them. Some people like pen nibs, some like Animal Crossing or Among Us. We all have our little quirks.
Today, my quirk is a lightbulb socket.
No, not the kind in your ceiling. This socket has two prongs on the back, so I can plug it into a regular wall outlet (at least, a North America wall outlet: if I was in Europe, I’d need another piece of equipment to use it). Officially it’s called a “Outlet to Socket Adapter.” I don’t know if anyone has ever called it O.S.A. for short, or if they’d pronounce it like the O in toast or the a in wasp.
At first glance, this seems like the most unneeded, useless, stupid little piece of plastic and metal in existence. Why in the WORLD would anyone need a lightbulb under their desk, 18 inches from the floor, or behind their flatscreen TV?
BUT.
When you combine the adapter with an extension cord in a symbiotic relationship as beautiful as that of the COVID-19 pandemic and conspiracy theorists, suddenly you have a mobile light source that can be hung from any ceiling!
In a tool closet, for instance. Now I can finally see the place for everything, and everything in its place.
The only downside is that nothing is, currently, in its place.
Sometimes progress requires us to illuminate our problems before we can fix them.
Cleanliness aside, have you ever tried working in a space just dark enough, just small enough, that it seemed even smaller with only one bulb? With my O.S.A., not only do I have more light, but the whole room feels bigger, and I didn’t even have to paint.
This particular O.S.A. is made by General Electric. If that counts for anything, I don’t actually know, but it does get 4.7 out of 5 stars on Amazon, and it’s currently on sale for $1.97. Normally it’s the outrageous price of $2.99. I say outrageous, because if I simply ordered it directly from a Chinese manufacturer, and had the patience required to wait three to four weeks, I could get one for only…well I don’t actually know, but less than $2.99, I’m sure.
I do not have that kind of patience.
My O.S.A. (I’m pronouncing it “Oh-Sah,” as in Levio-Oh-Sah, I don’t know how you’ve been saying it) has only one major flaw. Someone at GE is currently trying to use up their supply of “off white” plastic. You know the shade: it’s the color of computer cases from when Oregon Trail was still new, or the tint of a white shirt after a baby has spat up on it too many times.
The trick is to use a bulb with a color temperature of about 3000K (what’s called a “soft warm” bulb). This makes it look as though the sour milk color of the O.S.A. is just a trick of the light.
Like A.A. Milne and his pen nibs, I think I’ve said everything there needs to be said about my O.S.A., except this: I like it, very much.
Let there be light!
McCTaft 