SAN DIEGO – Bourbon Street will be hosting a wine tasting to benefit Mama’s Kitchen this week.

The University Heights nightclub will be the site of Mama’s Kitchen’s 15th annual Wine Tasting Event and all proceeds will go to aid the organization's daily operations.

Celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, Mama’s Kitchen is the only non-profit organization in San Diego to provide three home-delivered meals seven days each week to about 600 men, women and children affected by HIV/AIDS or cancer at absolutely no cost.

San Diego Pride is here, and finally, I am excited.

This weekend is ours. It is the one time of year where we celebrate everything gay - and turn Hillcrest into one giant rainbow mess. Everything from the rally, parade and festival, to the parties, bars, clubs, and chance encounters, all are exciting in their own way.

To me, Pride is like the Gay New Years. All avenues point towards Pride, and so much of life is dictated by “pre-Pride” and “post-Pride.”

Editor's note: In 1994, Rick Cirillo founded American Airlines’ innovative LGBT marketing strategy and launched the Rainbow Team. This article first appeared as an interview in the June 2010 edition of American Airlines “"Rainbow News" edition.

Three and a half years ago, I retired from American Airlines after almost 20 years. Today at 62-years-old, I live in Spokane, Wash., as an openly gay father and grandfather with my husband of 12 years, Curtis Southworth.

"I'm in the mood for a cup of coffee," Betty White declared.

Now that she mentioned it, I could go for some steaming dark roast myself. Ordinarily, I'm not a big coffee fan, as I'm highly sensitive to the stimulating affects of caffeine. The last time I had a venti Frappacino, I went on a lawn mowing spree across the neighborhood and nearly took out three of Bill Paxton's prize-winning rose bushes.