Prepare or Die

I awoke this morning from an unusually disturbing dream.  In my subconscious mind, I was on the 30th floor of a downtown Kansas City apartment tower when the lights went out. All of them. Not only inside the building, but as far as I could see across the urban landscape. Nary a light to be found.

The suddenness of it all struck me.  In an instant, darkness consumed my world, on the darkest week of the year, no less.  Worse yet, without power, I was unable to communicate with anyone, including th...