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Four years ago I watched a chocolate martini stream through a series of tunnels in an intricate ice sculpture and straight into my waiting glass. Like a child at Christmas, I was full of wonder and glee. It was at that moment I decided I would attend the World of Chocolate every year I was in Chicago.

The AIDS Foundation of Chicago's annual holiday fundraising event is one of the most delicious gatherings in the city. A collection of premier chocolatiers, food and drinks, fabulous entertainment and a holiday bazaar make the World of Chocolate a truly memorable night.

There are few events that shine a joyous light onto the work an organization does. The World of Chocolate is a true celebration of life and love that makes me proud to work with ChicagoPride.com as a sponsor. Nothing says "live. play. go all out" like a room full of premium chocolates, open bars and warm, smiling faces.

Having never been to IML before I went to the Debauchery party full of excitement and anxiety. Beautiful men dressed as angels, both favored and fallen, greeted us at the entrance as we were ushered into the party. As soon as I entered I realized the party was nothing I had ever expected.

Everything about the party was breathtaking with an unparalleled attention to detail. I have been to a number of parties in and out of the LGBT community but this one was different, it set the bar higher. It was an elegant enactment of Hieronymus Bosh's Garden of Earthly Delights. Models glided through, as much art as human, bowls of fruit sat like aphrodisiacs and the drinks were superb. While Cyon sang to the music the men mixed, mingled and enjoyed a world of their own.

One of the guests, Jared, told me "Everything about the party is like living a dream. I could never imagine pulling off something like this, it's one of the best parties I've been to in a while."

After a wonderful evening I can safely say I look forward to the next Visuwil event! Amazing pictures to follow!!

http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2008/11/13/bone-marrow-aids.html

I thought this article was pretty good. There's some signs of hope in AIDS research. I'll be keeping my eyes and ears open for updates.

I was disappointed to hear that Prop 8 was passed, yet I think Keith Olbermann explained it best. I wanted to share this YouTube link to his commentary as I found it very powerful.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y04wYfgWxeA

If I can think of one word to describe my experience with Market Days it is definitely overwhelming, and I mean that in the best way possible. This was my first year organizing the ChicagoPride.com booth and it was a wonderful experience.

CPMatt, CPSteve, and I arrived early in the morning to set up the booth and get everything prepared. It seems the mornings are always a little lackadaisical at Market Days as most people are still asleep or getting ready to start their day. At 12 o’clock DJ Plez showed up and the energy started to rise. His rhythm was perfect for the early afternoon crowds and we had people dancing around the booth and laughing, it was great to see so much positive energy. Again, it was my first time working with DJ Plez and I feel lucky to have met someone so kind and fun, we had a blast hanging out and meeting the festival goers.

At four o’clock DJ Phil DaBeatz showed up with his own unique energy that clearly resonated with the shifting crowd. His mixing brought people to the booth and at times it was hard to move through the streets around us. We were lucky enough to get two of Phil’s DJ friends to come and do a guest appearance for us. Djs Veritas and O'Mozart started mixing it up with Phil DaBeatz and the crowds went wild. By the end of the night the booths around us closed up and we had a full-blown dance party circling the ChicagoPride.com booth. I was amazed at how they connected with the crowd and really got them energized. To see those three Djs having so much fun on their own was one of my greatest moments of Market Days. I hope I can meet these other Djs again soon!

Of course, it’s never a party unless the fabulous Miss Foozie comes! She’s so sweet to come and help out for a bit and I owe her a million times over. I honestly don’t know how she keeps up with it all, but some of us were blessed with energy to spare.

We also had a modeling contest on ChicagoPride.com, inviting anyone to join for a chance to win free airfare for two from Orbitz.com. The finalists of this contest–Evin, Geo, Jim, and Kyle–came out to the booth both afternoons and got to meet the thousands of people that attend Market Days. They were astounding in every possible way. They were truly such down-to-earth and caring people and really went above and beyond to try to help me out however possible. I hope everyone goes to ChicagoPride.com and vote for their favorite model; I know I already have!

Cesar’s on Broadway came out to support ChicagoPride.com as well. Not only did they send us beach balls, balloons and free margarita cards to pass out, they also sent over their gorgeous Latin dancer, Christopher. Everybody loved the free giveaways and it was fun to see the beach balls flying around amongst people laughing and having a good time. Christopher was marvelous, going out and connecting with the crowd and doing anything he could to help me out.

Last but definitely not least, I have to take a moment to thank my friends. I asked my friends to help me out if they had any time and true to form they all came to the booth, threw on a t-shirt and did anything and everything to help me out. These things take a lot of planning and preparation but it’s truly a team effort to see any success in life and I know my team, my family, is my friends. I’m constantly reminded of how lucky I am to have them in my life.

All in all I think Market Days was a great success and I owe it to everyone involved. They truly gave everything to help me and ChicagoPride.com and it left me overwhelmed to feel that much love. I only hope everyone out there could feel it too.