I’m a busy single professional.  Well, when I’m working that is.  It’s hard to cook for one person, heck it’s hard to shop for one person.  I can’t get too much or things will spoil.  It’s a hassle and it’s expensive.

A couple of years ago, I was thinking, cause, I do that from time to time, I was thinking there must be others out there like me.  I should start a business where busy people can select meals from a menu and number of servings and they get a package with all the ingredients all measured out and proportioned.  The meats, the veggies, the spices, the sauces, whatever.  You take these packages home and throw them in the freezer and when you’re ready, you grab one, thaw it and follow the instructions inside the package.  A meal for one, or four or whatever, in a half hour or so.

These are not frozen dinners like you get at the grocery, these are just all the ingredients to make a nice meal.  You fry it or bake it or grill it or steam it or whatever the instructions call for.

I wouldn’t have to do the shopping or meal planning; jeez what a time saver.  I was telling a friend at work about my idea and she said, “Maggie, that already exists, it’s just down the road”.  I thought I was so clever and someone beat me to it.  The way I look at it – I just think about a thing and it happens.

Anyway, it’s called Dinners Ready.  Each month, they have a new menu of 20 or so meals to chose from.  You go into a store and get your apron on and move from station to station following the instructions at that station which tell you how much this and how much that to put into your zip lock bags and portion cups and baking pans, etc.  Then you package it all up and go.

Another option is pick or delivery service.  You can just order the meals you want and tell them how many servings of each meal you want and their staff will prepare the meals for you.  You just pick them up or have them delivered.

The meals are quite tasty and nutritional as well, and yes of course I have passed them off as my own creation.  It’s cost effective coming in at between $4.50 and $5.50 per serving.

Check it out, give it a try. http://www.dinnersready.com

Metaphors that are as bad as bad similes

Her face was a perfect oval, like a circle that had its two other sides gently compressed by a Thigh Master.

His thoughts tumbled in his head, making and breaking alliances like underpants in a dryer without Cling Free.

She caught your eye like one of those pointy hook latches that used to dangle from screen doors and would fly up whenever you banged the door open again.

The little boat gently drifted across the pond exactly the way a bowling ball wouldn’t.

McMurphy fell 12 stories, hitting the pavement like a Hefty bag filled with vegetable soup.

Her hair glistened in the rain like nose hair after a sneeze.

Her eyes were like two brown circles with big black dots in the center. Read Full Article & Comments…

I left the Pigeon Point Lighthouse Hostel Saturday morning, the 27th, and drove south along the California coast through Monterrey, Big Sur, San Simeon, Santa Barbara and arrived in LA at the Santa Monica Hostel about 7:00pm, long day.  Gorgeous day, long drive.

The hostel is one block from the famous Santa Monica Pier and so I walked down there in the evening.  Fascinating.  Lots of strange people and some normal ones too.

The hostel is nice, quite full featured, huge kitchen with eight industrial stoves, several sinks and six big fridges and lots of counter space for us all to prepare our meals.  This place has a nice library, Internet room, a couple of lounges, laundry, a movie room, a great courtyard with fountains and tables and chairs, etc.  They had comedy night on Saturday night with some local comedians, all free.  They also conduct free guided tours of the area every other day or so.  There are people from all over the world here and with all the different languages I hear, I’d swear I was back in Europe if I didn’t know any better.  Read Full Article & Comments…

I got up early, packed, checked out of the Redwood Hostel and was on the road by 8:00am heading south.  It was  a beautiful day.  My destination – the Pigeon Point Lighthouse Hostel near Pescadero, CA.  The drive south was wonderful.  Passing through Eureka and then inland a bit.  I wanted coastline so I headed west off the main drag to Fort Bragg and down the coast on the 1.  Well, I got what I asked for.  It was spectacular but such a work out.  The road wound into and out of every ravine and up hill and down hill and I was only averaging about 25mph I think.  Magnificent vistas, but I’d never get there at this rate.

So, I headed back out to the 101 and south which took me right over the Golden Gate Bridge and through the middle of downtown San Francisco.  My iPhone GPS performed marvelously; it got me through town, out to the coast and right into the parking lot of the hostel.  It was getting dark just as I approached San Fran, so I was glad to have that little gadget.

I got checked in and explored a little.  Built in 1871, the Pigeon Point Lighthouse itself still functions as an aid to navigation and is a museum now.  There are also four other three bedroom houses in addition to the keeper’s house that used to house lighthouse keepers and coast guardsmen; they are now the hostel.  The whole facility sits on a rocky promontory and can be seen from quite a distance north and south.

I spent four nights here.  The first couple days, including Christmas day, were pretty bad outside; high winds, rain and very cold.  Too miserable to go out in.  Read Full Article & Comments…

After showering and getting dressed I headed to the kitchen here at the Redwood Hostel and oh my, there’s more people here than I thought.  It’s a big kitchen, two stoves and fridges and and three big industrial sinks and smaller fourth one, and several tables, and yet, it was packed.  It sure smelled good though.  I eventually made my breaky and sat with Giovanni, Phylicia and Kunio from Japan.

Afterward, I got packed up and headed north to the Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park and found the Boy Scout Tree trail head and set off.  It’s pretty wet, still raining, I was fairly well bundled though.  About half way in, I slightly twisted my ankle, minor, but I decided to head back out and not risk doing worse damage.  It was still a great hike and good workout.  Off to Crescent City again to the coffee shop and wi-fi.  Read Full Article & Comments…

Kristen got up early and left and I noticed I had another room mate here at the hostel.  Virginia was in another room next to the room where someone was snoring unbelievably loud, so she moved into my room.  No problem.  I got up, showered, made breakfast and sat down to write a bit.

There are quite a few more people here today.  I got away about 10:30 and headed south to some elk meadows, but no elk.  So, I went north along a gravel coast road, slowly, and came upon a very large elk munching away at the side of the road.  He eyeballed me for awhile but didn’t seem too concerned.  I got some pictures and moved on.  I had to cross three streams along the way.  At the first one, as I was coming to the other side and up the bank, all sorts of smoke started escaping from under the hood.  It startled me for a few seconds and then I realized it was just the water from the stream and the hot engine block creating steam.  Read Full Article & Comments…