Many people might answer that they were connected to email, on the cloud, or cooking. Frustrating, isn't it?
There were opposing views on "Age of Electronics" but many readers could relate to my problems with computers and modern appliances. Others were not convinced by emperical evidence that my personal electromagnetic waves have an effect on most electronics.
I agree that not all breakdowns and glitches are due to my body's chemistry, and I certainly did not cause the last major power outage. Other humongous problems lurk behind that video screen. To name a few conduits: electricity, weather, atmospheric pressures, brown-outs, internet service providers, modems, and vandalism.
The idea that your data should be filed 'on the cloud' is beyond hopeless. Email? Mostly non-existent when the internet is down. Previously, on older systems, emails were available and could be viewed on your computer. Work could still get done, however, on the new cloud system, that is no longer viable.
Today's latest 982MB update has caused major problems for me. Substantially slower response on a one year old machine, unable to control settings without being on 'The Cloud', automatically synced my files, etc. There will be more problems found and more wasted time figuring this out, as the day goes on.
Buying a new appliance or gadget? Paper manuals are not provided. When setting up or troubleshooting a malfunction, cross your fingers that the internet is alive so you can download and print the manual.
Many areas of the country experience power outages, poor connections, brown-outs, and rotating power outages all too often. What happens when "The Cloud" dissipates?
To the rescue! A hidden, fading, yellowed paper appears. My back-up insurance for information.
In Grays Harbor County, there were a total of 230 outages recorded for the year 2023, and 50,293 interruptions of power. All of which amounted to 193,991 customer hours.
According to Tara Energy-one of the electrical providers in Texas-in 2020, 1.33 billion hours of power outages affected the United States, with California having the highest number of interruptions.
The high numbers are mind-blowing and extensive. Bloom Energy's web-site has an interactive map of historical outages in California.
Be prepared for the next outage. Here are a few items to consider having on hand:

• candles and matches
• land-line phone
• gas-powered stove
• propane barbecue
• pencil, pen, and lots of paper!