Once you go, you know. Gay pride events have an energy unlike any other. They're blobs of Silly Putty rolling on a calendar, collecting a year's worth of impressions into one big, colorful gob. There's the romance of Valentine's Day, the all-American sizzle of Fourth of July, the candy-coated spectacle of Halloween, the goodwill and generosity of Christmas. And everyone buys shots like it's their birthday. Minus the shots thing, it's no wonder children love pride parades.