My Bullying Experience - Pink Shirt Day 2014

Today is Pink Shirt Day in BC.  It's a day where people wear pink to show their support of a putting a stop to Bullying.  Whether you are wearing pink or not.  Be part of the solution.

 This is going to be my song of the day.  The message is strong and it's a fantastic song about acceptance.  Everyone should be accepted for who they are.

Whether they realize it or not, I think everyone has been bullied at some point or another.  For me personally, I've always had very high self esteem and kept my head held high, but that doesn't mean it hasn't affected me. 

The last time the Winter Olympics came, Vancouver 2010, I was stoked.  I lived in a suburban municipality not far from Van and wanted to be a part of it.   The streets were alive, everyone was patriotic, and the whole world was watching.  The spectacle and spirit of the games is something everyone should get to experience.  In my heightened state of patriotism, I decided to make a parody video to show my support for Canada's Hockey Team.

That was 20 year old me, all full of pluck and Miley Cyrus vocals, ready to share my song with the internet. 

I wrote this song, recorded it at my broadcasting school and made the video with my friends.  I had an amazing time putting it all together, and there were a ton of laughs along the way.  Then the video was posted and not a day later, the trolls came knocking. 

This was the first video I'd ever created and "starred" in.  It takes a lot to actually put yourself out there online, and every view feels like a victory, while every nasty comment jabs you in the gut.   If you watch the video now, you'll notice that comments have been disabled and it's got over 5000 views.  This was my way of shutting down the trolls.  They can keep their nasty words to themselves.  I'm not super model thin and I don't wear a lot of make-up.  To some people online, that means I shouldn't be singing or writing or living my life at all.   That's just wrong.

For the duration of those Olympics, I got comment after nasty comment on my weight, my looks, and the every minute detail of the video that was "wrong" in some commenter's opinion.  Some of them got quite creative in their phrasing, and some of it was downright dark and twisted.  You know what?  It hurt.  It's not nice to hear or read that you're not perfect, especially when someone's taken time out of their day to say so publicly.  For a few days I was quite upset.  Not one of those negative comments had anything to do with the video itself.  They were all shots at me, and shots at Canada by some angry Americans. You really have to consider the source.   There are some people who have issues in their own lives they don't want to face, so they take it out on everyone else and try to tear others down.  It's up to each and every person to be kind.  It's the only way to stop that cycle.  Also, Canada winning helped stop the trash talk from USA Hockey Fans.  I didn't get a single comment about sport after the gold medal game.

Funny how that works, eh?

At first I removed the notifications from my email saying there were new comments, but I kept going to back to the video and seeing them.  After a while, I just disabled them all together and felt my little corner of the internet get a little bit brighter.

I removed the comments on my video, but there's no disable button in real life.  Just remember that you're amazing.  If you think you're beautiful, incredible and talented, it will show.  Everyone else will start to think it too.  The people who love you, probably already think so.  I couldn't have shaken this off without the kindness of my friends and family.  They loved the video, I loved the video and that's all that matters.

If you are the bully, and we've all said some nasty things, do your best to stop.  Really think about what you're saying and how it might affect who you're saying it to/about.  Also think about why you're saying it in the first place.  Cyber bullying is a huge issue for teens/kids, and it IS bullying.  What you say online has an offline effect.  Police yourself on all mediums.

To everyone, don't ever let the trolls stop you from doing what you love or being who you are.  No one can bring you down if you don't let them.  If you're feeling low, find someone you love and trust to talk to.  It will make a world of difference.

Bogner's of Penticton - A Taste Test

I'm going to preface this by saying one thing - I'm not fancy, and I'm not a foodie. That being said, I love good food and drink - which is exactly what I got at Bogner's of Penticton last night. As a part of the Sun FM/EZ Rock team, I was invited to try out what the menu had to offer and now I'd like to share!

The outside of Bogner's is a bit sneaky when you drive up.  It's set inside an old Doctor's house from 1905, which quite frankly, is pretty unusual but adds to the overall ambience.  If you don't know you're looking for a house, you might miss it, even with the signage. As far as location, it's just outside Downtown Penticton and easy to get to.


When would you go to Bogner's? Any time you want a nice night out.  The restaurant is set up to encourage conversation with it's low, smooth dinner music, dimmed lighting, and linen-clad tables.   The decor is beautiful with chandeliers that play well off the support columns and wide, framed windows.   You can tell a lot was put in to creating an elegant dining environment that feels comfortable. 

A really great part of living in the Okanagan is the fresh fruit and veggies that grow in our backyard.  The climate here is perfect for all kinds of growing, which is why this is "Wine Country" as well as the home to many fruit growers.  Chef Darin Paterson actually pointed out to us some of the spots where herbs and veggies are grown right outside the doors of the restaurant, and told us about their farm that supplies a lot of what's on the menu! Chef Darin and his team are very passionate about keeping it local as he expressed to us throughout the night while explaining the different food items.  They grow their own veggies and raise their own chickens.  In 2014, it's nice to know where your food is coming from (and that it's not processed).

  Liquids: 

Any time I sit down at a table and am brought a drink I've never tried before, I know I'm going to enjoy my restaurant experience.  Cue the Pineapple-Sage Mojito.  It was sweet, a little sour and a truly unique flavour.  It's made with "patio grown Pineapple-Sage, White Rum, Pineapple-Sage infused Sugar, & Lime".  A drink that's delicious and dangerous.  And of course, it wouldn't be a dinner in the Okanagan Valley without wine.  We were offered some choices from River Stone Estate Winery in Oliver.  I personally tried the Pinot Gris and it was lovely. Fruity, but not too sweet and it paired quite well with the food!

Appetizing Appetizers:

There were all kinds of appys brought out and shared among the table.  If there's one thing you never do in radio (or ever, really), it's turn down food! Some of the items were simple choices that anyone would love, like freshly made flat bread and Classic Wedge Caesar Salad (with the biggest, freshest pieces of romaine I've ever seen!). The rest of the options were inspired by the season and what the team had on hand when creating the menu.  There were vegetarian options like the Organic Curried Zucchini Squash Spring Roll with Japanese Plum Sweet and Sour Sauce or the Asian Crispy Pumpkin Fritters with Sour Ranch Dressing and House Fermented Pear Hot Sauce.   I, myself am a carnivore.  While some of my co-workers enjoyed Warm Shrimp Dip Brie or Snails with Sun Dried Tomatoes and Capers done up with Chardonnay and herbs, I had something very interesting placed down in front of me.  House Duck Sausage Ravioli with sage butternut walnuts and roasted mushrooms.  I've only had duck maybe twice in my life before this, but I've eaten a lot of ravioli (pasta fiend, right here) and this was by far my favourite, maybe ever.   

After a little more wine and conversation, it was time for the main event. 

Entrees:

A few different meals were brought out for the table and randomly placed in front of each of us.   There's no better way to explore new food than to have the chef "order" for you (and I'm normally a pretty picky eater, so there was some risk here). If there is one thing you can always get from proper dining, it's an excuse to use a fake french accent. To the left of me, was a Châteaubriand à la Forestière, which is roasted tenderloin of beef with made to order béarnaise sauce and a potato croquette with forest mushroom sauce.  It looked like this: 

Thanks to Karen for taking a photo of her meal, I have never insta-food-grammed in my life and I didn't think to take pictures!

Across from me, was the Slow Braised Organic Chicken Cacciatore with garlic potato rösti, carrots and mushrooms.  It smelled heavenly.  Some of the other meals down the table included Parchment Roasted Arctic Char with shaved fennel and preserved lemon pan roasted potatoes, and a Local Okanagan Rack of Lamb with herb Mashed Potatoes, reduced lamb demi and veggies.  

I ended up with a Bacon Wrapped Halibut Steak with grilled mushrooms, maple glaze and french fries.  You read that right - BACON WRAPPED.  We all know maple and bacon go well together, but I was surprised at how well it paired with the Halibut Steak.  Personally, I've never been big on any kind of seafood, just eating the odd bit of tuna or salmon, but this halibut was done up well.  The maple and bacon flavouring really soaked in to the steak and gave it a savory flavour (because: bacon, as the internet would say).  Trust me, me finishing an entire halibut steak is a feat for any chef up against my picky, ocean-opposing taste buds (you win this round, Darin!).  Plus, I had the only plate with french fries, it's like they knew my weakness for deep fried potatoes.   I also tried a bite of the mushrooms, the flavour seemed alright, but I've never liked the texture of mushrooms and couldn't get past it(picky eater problems).   Overall, my main course was not something I'd have picked off a menu, but something I ended up truly relishing! 


Coffee & Dessert:

After dinner, I think we all needed a few minutes to breathe, digest, and digest some more.  As a part of dessert, the coffee orders were taken, and I was impressed with the options at Bogner's.  While most restaurants offer coffee, not all offer espresso-based drinks like cappuccinos and lattes.  Being the caffeine addict that I am, I opted for the cappuccino.  As a certified coffee connoisseur (I swear I'm telling the truth here as long as connoisseur really means barista/addict.), I was happy to receive a cappuccino with the perfect amount of foam, good quality espresso and a sprinkle of cinnamon.  I even managed to avoid giving myself a foam mustache in public, so obviously I'm a real grownup.  Dessert for me was a made-in-house Raspberry/Strawberry ice cream, Orchard Coffee Cake, berries and Chocolate truffles.  Was I in heaven? Yes.  Did I ever want to leave? No.  The ice cream made by Chef Darin's team blew me away.  It was sweet, tart and you could tell the flavour came from actual berries.  So.Good.   Around the table, there was also some Cherry Apple Cobbler that looked and smelled fantastic, as well as the always popular Creme Brulee.  


At the end of the day (literally, it was like 9pm when we left), Bogner's was truly a great experience.  We spent almost 3 hours enjoying food and conversation, and time really flew by! If you want to have a divine girls night, or a special date night - this would be my pick for where to go.

If you're worried about price, they've got some great deals on right now with complete meals for $25 or $35.  Plus there's a Groupon right now.

Sun listeners can go to www.sunonline.ca where Bogner's is the Restaurant of the Month and you could win a GC to try it out! 

The full menu is at www.bogners.ca

Thanks for reading (and sorry if I made you hungry)!