Author: Nikki J.

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Katniss Everdeen vs. Bella Swann

I’m SO happy that The Hunger Games is killing Twilight at the box office! Katniss is a true, unassuming heroine, with very real issues to deal with and values to fight for. The trilogy brims with motivating and relevant themes, and I love that Katniss’s story doesn’t revolve around the silly distractions that are so omnipresent in young adult literature these days. Honestly, if the trilogy was better written from a literary standpoint, I’d add it to high school reading curriculums – I think what they have to say is that important, and that relevant to society today.

Of course, I can’t stand Bella Swann. I’ve seen the Twilight films, and while they are very entertaining, I just can’t bring myself to relate to a melodramatic teenager who risks not only her life, but everyone else’s lives, for a hormonally-driven love affair/infatuation with a vampire. The whole premise is so selfish to me. Harmful to herself, harmful to everyone else. Young girls shouldn’t look up to Bella, if you ask me!

But, no one did ask me, so the rant ends here 🙂

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I Love Surprising People

At a career fair on base this week, I had an opportunity in my ongoing pursuit to convince people that not all military spouses are stay-at-home moms (to reiterate: I’m not opposed to that, just not ready yet!) Granted, the fair was geared mostly to Marines looking to get out and enter the civilian world, but I still found myself almost instantly overlooked as a wife.

I approached one contractor’s bench and asked him if he had any positions available in the area. He smiled at me as if I was a high-school student asking the question, asked if I was active duty (“No, I’m a spouse”) and said, “Well ma’am, all our positions are for experienced professionals with security clearances at this time.”

I HAVE A SECURITY CLEARANCE, SUCKA!! Spouse does not automatically mean under-qualified! We all know what happens when you assume. I wish I had been ballsy enough to yell that  and smack my resume down right on top of his perfectly stacked business cards. But of course, the nice girl took over instead, opting to politely tell him I do have a clearance while I calmly walked away…

… But I didn’t turn away too late to notice the surprised and embarrassed expression on his face. Ha 🙂

This is what happens when your husband is in the field for 3 weeks and has his buddy pick things up from me to bring back to him: your manly stuff gets dolled up. Clearly I’m not afraid to embarrass him… lol 😉

P.S. Don’t worry though, there are some treats in there too. All his friends will actually be jealous…

(Taken with instagram)

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The Race Dialogue in America

I usually don’t speak up when it comes to divisive politics and social issues these days – especially when it comes to race, since I’m a privileged white girl and no one would listen to me anyway (har har.)

But in regards to the firestorm surrounding the unthinkable slaying of Trayvon Martin, I only have one thing to remind people amidst some of the oversimplified commentary I’ve read lately: racism is NOT a uniquely American problem, nor is it a uniquely white problem. Genocide, ethnic/racial/religious cleansing, and hate crimes have been perpetuated all over the world for thousands of years, by people of every color, against people of every color – to include (gasp) white Christian males. I don’t think I need to list examples here because – if you’ve ever picked up a history book – we all know it’s true.

Maybe it’s just the patriot in me getting defensive when I hear racism defined as an “American cancer.” I may not have travelled the world or studied every statistic, but I have been around and met enough very different kinds of people to know that prejudice hides in every corner, including in countries that are supposedly more liberal and progressive than our own (I do speak from experience there – it was surprising.)

Racism is an ugly thing, and maybe one day humanity will finally overcome it, so that tragedies like Trayvon Martin will never happen again. However, I strongly feel that for a country of over 300 million people to manage, America is still the most diverse and least segregated countries in the world. I wish the media wouldn’t pin this on the U.S. so exclusively, and recognize racism as the human problem that it really is.

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Culinary Delight #6: Garden Chicken Enchiladas

This is another easy one that I inherited from my mom. It’s one of my all-time favorite dinners growing up, and it tastes great re-heated, too!

Ingredients

10 oz can cream of chicken soup
8 oz sour cream (I add a little more because I’m decadent like that)
2 cups diced cooked chicken breast (Usually about 2 large breasts – I shred mine with a fork)
10 oz frozen chopped broccoli, thawed
1/2 cup finely chopped red pepper
1/2 cup chopped green onion
2 cups (8 oz) Mexican Blend Cheese (I add a little more, since we are cheese-a-holics)
8” flour tortillas
**If you are used to something a little spicier, a can of your preferred enchilada sauce is a great addition!**
Directions
 
– Combine the soup and sour cream.  Stir well.
– Combine the chicken, half of the soup mixture, broccoli, pepper, onion and 1 cup cheese in a large bowl.  Mix well.
– Spread a heaping 1/2 cup of the chicken mixture on each tortilla
– Roll up and place seam side down in lightly greased 13×9 pan
– Spoon and spread the remaining soup mix over the tortilla wraps. Spread the enchilada sauce over them as well, if desired.
– Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes
– Uncover and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake for another 5 minutes.