I have noticed that as well – we depend so much on electricity and everything that goes with it, that a power failure becomes quite inconvenient. While in winter it’s not that bad, in the summer it gets difficult when the fridge stops working *hmpf*

But even though I don’t have a flashlight, I have tons and tons of candles. The last time there was a blackout in the area where I lived I first didn’t know what to do. I lit the candles, but then what? No tv, no computer, no internet. It actually took me ten minutes to realize I could just grab a book and read. And that#s what I did for two hours. It was weird at first, because I wasn’t used to the silence all around me, but after a while, I actually enjoyed it