I appreciate the brainstorming!
Actually, Copacetic, the original 4' cable that came with the Nexus failed completely after only 2 weeks, and Verizon graciously replaced it with a 9' cable - retail $30! - for free, under warranty. I KNOW the cable's good, because I can plug in the phone and it charges.
For some reason, though, it's not wanting to charge at night as fast as the desk clock screen saver depletes it. I've used my phone as my night stand alarm clock since Launch Day, so I know it should work fine. But either the extended battery isn't charging as fast as it's depleting, or the charging circuits are expending power faster than the phone takes it in.
Tonight's the big test. If it still happens with the standard battery, I have a feeling I'll be spending the day tomorrow unloading photos, music, movies, and drawing my homescreen layouts on paper so I can reinvent them with the new phone. I REALLY hope Ginny's okay and the standard battery works...
Keep the ideas coming, though!