Summer is officially here

Summer is officially here; Yay! Honestly, I can't keep up with my nightlife calendar. From completely embarrassing myself at fundraisers to checking out what Trump has planned for the summer, I have been some of everywhere and with some of every one, and not like that for all you dirty minds out there!

My friend and editor-in-chief of The Men's Book co-hosted an event at John Allan's, 111 W. Jackson BLVD, to celebrate the book release of The Bearded Gentleman by grooming writer Nick Burns. Of course the night included complimentary grooming services, shoe shines, and shirt fittings. Not to sound like a complete lush but one of the highlights of the evening was the scotch tasting. I'm more of a gin and tonic man myself, however, after two... okay I'll be honest, five or seven tastings, I think I'll go with scotch on my next drink order. At the event, I met Caroline Rawlings, membership director with the Spa at Trump. We hit it off, and she invited me to take a personal tour of the Trump Spa and gym facilities.

I've been to Trump in the past for some events, but I've never checked out the spa or gym. While on the tour with Caroline, all I could think was wow; this definitely trumps my Bally's membership, haha. With fantastic views of the city to world-class facilities, you don't even feel like you're at a gym anymore. Quite honestly, I couldn't tell where the gym and spa ended; everything felt so tranquil! Caroline also invited me to sunrise yoga on the river walk. Now, I think we would all be a bit happier going to work, even on Mondays, if we all experienced Trump's sunrise yoga on the river walk. My yoga instructor, Toni had my body going in positions and directions that I didn't know it could go in or even scarier, come out of; YIKES! But, I had a great time and spent the rest of my day thinking, it's really not that serious; that's how relaxed I was!

Thanks Caroline and Toni for the awesome experience!

I was invited to an intimate meet and greet with actor and music artist Jensen Atwood in the West Loop. Jensen played the love interest of Academy Award winner Halle Barry in Oprah Winfrey's Their Eyes Were Watching God and is known for playing Wade on Noah's ARC. I'm so happy that I made this event. It was personal, definitely no more than 20 invitees, and above all fun! But to more important matters, Jensen is just as handsome and charming as he is on the big screen. He's very approachable, welcoming and just all around seemed like a nice guy. Also, he is very active in GLBT rights, which is always a plus in my book.

I stopped by Alexi Giannoulias' fundraiser at Old Town Social. Normally, I try to stay out of politics, but I truly do believe in Alexi's platform, especially concerning GLBT equal rights.
He seems like a true ally of the community. Even with all that, I still manage to make a dork of myself at his fundraiser.

I've met Alexi dozens of times and every single time I'm like a deer in headlights, and all I can think to say is, "It's nice to meet you."

After the seventh or tenth time, it's just insulting. I'm sure he either thinks that I'm arrogant or is suffering from alzheimer's; I promise it's neither! Alexi introduced me to Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, which was great and my classic deer in headlights line, "It's nice to meet you" was far far more applicable. Also present was my alderman, LaTasha Thomas. It was great to just talk with her about the state of politics and how we can do our part.

I attended Mayor Daley's invite-only GLBT reception in celebration of pride month at the Chicago Cultural Center. This was my first time at this event and will not be my last. In attendance was Mayor Daley, Alexi Giannoulias, Ron Huberman, and a slew of other influencers. The city may have its isolated incidences, but I really do consider Chicago as a GLBT friendly city and this reception furthered that belief. This was a great way to kick off the pride festivities this weekend, be in the know, or for some, find a husband, haha.

As always, have fun, don't say "It's nice to meet you," to people you've meet more than once, and let's get crazy for the pride parade!

And for all you film buffs out there, be sure to save the date:

LimeGreen Presents: The Chicago 48Hour Film Project Mixer
Date: Thursday, July 15th
Time: 6:30pm to 10pm
Place: LimeGreen Entertainment Group Loft, 344 N. Ogden Avenue, Chicago, IL 60607 Creative Convergence! Spend an evening with some of Chicago's most creative individuals . . . filmmakers, actors and musicians. Join us for music, food and fun . . . more importantly creative inspiration!