Protect your Information, People!

My husband is THE most private person I know. He uses fancy encrypted passwords for better computer and internet security. He shreds documents like mad. He never shares his sensitive information, such as social security number. And yet, he was a victim of identity theft.

He found it when he was reviewing credit card bills, which he does every week or so on the internet. The Discover card (# 6011 7394 9811 0474 -- Just kidding!!!) had five--count 'em, FIVE-- cash advances made against it in the last week, to the tune of about $1500.

He immediately called the company and found out that someone had called Discover card asking for an emergency replacement card. They provided his name, secret word, and social security number. Discover card went ahead and sent it to the address they provided. This surprised me, because Discover used to be pretty good about picking up on unusual activity. He has never used the card for a cash advance, and has, of course, lived at the same address for years and years. Discover really blew it, in my opinion, by not calling and confirming this request, and then again by not picking up on the unusual use.

So, now he is in the frightening position of having his information out there. He has taken steps to protect his credit, like freezing his credit report. He'll file a police report, and there are steps to take with the FTC. It isn't a good situation.

Protect your info! Do not give out your information! Check your credit reports often. Buy a cross-cut shredder. Review the guidelines on the FTC identity theft website.

Easy Turkey (or Chicken) Pot Pie

I found this easy recipe from Food & Home magazine, which we get free in our mailbox every once in a while. I've made it a few times, and it is always a hit. The original recipe called for chicken, but it was a perfect use of our leftover dark meat Thanksgiving turkey. The original called for puff pastry from Trader Joe's, as well as one of those whole grilled chickens from TJ's. They've discontinued both of those, so I use "Just Chicken" from TJ's, for ease, and a puff pastry from the regular grocery store.

Chicken (or Turkey) Pot Pie

The crust:
1 package frozen puff pastry
Egg Wash (one egg mixed with 1 T. water)

The filling:
1 T. olive oil
1 container of mirepoix (found at Trader Joe's)
1/2 cup fresh, small button mushrooms, quartered
1/2 cup frozen peas (defrosted)
about 2 cups chopped cooked chicken (or turkey!)
salt and pepper to taste

The gravy:
3 T. butter (the recipe called for clarified butter, but honestly, for gravy? Who'll know?)
3 T. flour
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy cream
squeeze of a lemon
dash of hot sauce

Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Take puff pastry out of the freezer and let it thaw at room temperature. Heat oil in a large heavy saucepan on medium-high heat. Add the mirepoix and mushrooms and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the chicken and peas and cook an additonal 2-3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

Prepare the gravy. In a small saucepan over medium heat melt the butter until hot. Add the flour all at once and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the chicken broth, heavy cream, squeeze of lemon and dash of hot sauce. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thickened and coats the back of a wooden spoon.

Mix vegetables, chicken, and gravy together. Spoon into an 8 x 13 pan. Cover the chicken mixture with puff pastry. Brush top with egg wash. Bake in 400º oven for 30-45 minutes, until puff pastry is golden brown.

Note: I did a quick measure of the veggies in the mirepoix, if you want to chop them yourself. It was about 1 1/2 cups diced celery, 1/2 cup chopped onion and 1 cup diced carrots -- I think! I didn't measure them very accurately. The mirepoix is so easy, though!

Enjoy!

Here it is before baking:


And here it is ready to eat!



There is usually a little bit of puff pastry left over. I spread it with butter and sprinkle it with cinnamon sugar, baking it until it is cinnamon-y, buttery, puffy, and yummy!

Back from the Big Easy

I had a really good time at the ASHA Convention in New Orleans! My brain got full!

Thursday I concentrated on aphasia during my sessions, while Friday was more of a dysphagia kind of day. I packed the sessions back-to-back and really got a lot of good learning in. I also walked miles and miles! The Ernest M. Morial Convention Center is long. Very long. It seemed that each class was at the opposite end of the facility from the other.

I decided to let Saturday be a little bit lighter, so I only did 3 hours of sessions plus some poster sessions, and I visited the vendor booths. I got to see my favorite grad school professor at her poster. I had prepared myself for an older woman (it's been over 20 years!), but she looked great. It was good to see her; she had really inspired me.

I ate as much Cajun food as I could, and ate some wonderful beignets from Cafe du Monde. Good stuff!

I didn't have a lot of time for sight-seeing. The closing party was held at Mardi Gras World, where they build the floats. Here are some pictures from there. (Note that my pictures are in a different format. Clicking them will enlarge, and clicking that image will enlarge again.)

Between my hotel and the French Quarter there is a nice walkway by the river. Along the way, I got to stop and contemplate with Yaacov Agam's Holocaust Memorial. Mike enjoys his Agam piece that he acquired on one of our cruises. Agam's work is--literally--dynamic. Here are a few photos of the sculpture. You can see more photographs and an explanation here.








On Sunday I had some time before my flight, so I wandered through the French Market and then did a walking tour of the French Quarter. Cool architecture.

The Saint Louis Cathedral

Cornstalk Fence surrounding the Cornstalk Hotel

Someone's balcony decked out for the holidays.

The Eighth District Police Station.

I didn't get a chance to explore the cemeteries, nor did I go to the many museums of the area. The insect museum was tempting. Next time!

Some notes about NOLA:

• Apparently people there drink a lot of soda. Tea, hot and iced, was non-existent. Booze was not non-existent.
  
• The people are friendly, but they seem gruff at first. Then you'll get a joke, a smile, or a big thank you.
• They hose down the streets in the French Quarter every morning. Yuk!
• I saw no evidence of Katrina in the parts I visited and was driven through. I remember the news reports saying that the French Quarter was at higher elevation than most of the city, so I guess that helped to spare it.
• I want to go back, because there is a lot more to see and to do!

Lucid Dream Sabotage

I've told you about Kevin's interest in lucid dreaming. Occasionally I experience one. The other morning, I had a very interesting dream experience.

It all started when I was awakened pre-dawn and couldn't get back to sleep immediately. I finally was able to get to sleep, and it was one of those times that I noticed I was falling asleep. This awareness set the stage for my lucid dream.

I dreamed that I was trying to use an elevator, but it wouldn't go to the floor I wanted. It went to a big science lab. The lab itself was the elevator. This "mechanical failure" is a hallmark of dreaming--how many times are you unable to use the phone or the brakes in a dream?--and I think it was what clued me into my awareness that I was dreaming.

I said to myself, "I'm dreaming! OK, Kevin told me that I need to stay calm. I'm going to be calm. Kevin also said that I have to believe I can do something, and I can do it in my dream. I'm going to believe."

I looked around and saw a man sitting at a desk. I thought, "I'm going to go take off that man's glasses. I know I can do this. I'm going to stay calm and I'm going to be able to take off his glasses."

I walked over and I took his big horn-rimmed glasses off of him and I put them on. My vision suddenly got blurry. It was all dream-vision!

Then cut away to me and Kevin talking. I was telling him all about the lucid dream that I had just experienced. He was listening intently.

I said, "Yeah, and my vision got all blurry. Not like right now. My vision right now is so clear ....I know that right now I'm not dreaming."

I must've had second thoughts about that because then I said, "Look, I'll show you. You always told me to test myself to see if I'm dreaming so that I can control my dream. Look, I'll show you I'm not dreaming."

I began to pinch myself.

Denial is a powerful force.

I didn't feel the pinches. I pinched all along my arms. I didn't feel it. But I said, "Ow! Ow! Ow! See? I'm not dreaming."

Dream Sabotage! Damn!

Since I seem to follow Kevin's instructions very well in my lucid dreams, I asked him for an assignment for my next one. He told me to do a flip in the air. ......Stay tuned.....

The Big Easy

In 10 days I'll be heading to the City of New Orleans for the annual American Speech-Language-Hearing Association convention. I'm looking forward to learning a lot and experiencing a new city!

Do you have any recommendation for me while I'm there?