I was showering late Wednesday, shampoo in my eyes and American Horror Story playing on my phone so loud that my husband couldn't hear my shouts for a light. I had just become one of the millions of people to have lost power in the biggest orchestrated blackout in California history, and here I was excited about the ocean breeze-scented candle I had bought a day earlier -- because flashlights were sold out, and it was that or orange ginger.

Other thoughts that ran through my mind: "It's a good thing I didn't start a load of laundry," and, "I'm going to miss the dishwasher." Curious, the trivial, first-world problems you think of when you're facing an unprecedented shutoff amid the threat of deadly wildfires and the prospect of going powerless for as long as a week.

Governor Attacks PG&E for Blackout Caused by 'Greed and Neglect'