Italian & Lip Sync Night

Day 3 of AI-XXIX, aka Italian Night followed by Lip Sync, was an epic affair that stretched into the wee hours of Sunday morning.  Showing questionable judgment,  neighbors Paul & Marilyn joined The AI Stans for the festivities. Things kicked off with an order for 7 Stanhattans which were mixed all at once in the world’s largest cocktail shaker provided to The AI several years ago by the erstwhile Baroness von Sidecar.  The BD’s annual tour de force was eagerly devoured by the faithful whose ravenous behavior perfectly encapsulated what was possibly The BD’s best effort in Italian Night history….and that’s saying something.  Something.  Dinner was washed down with copious bottles of wine and capped off with a scrumptious peach cobbler courtesy of Official AI Pastry Chef, Sean.

Stans were having so much fun chatting, drinking & eating that The BD had her hands full getting them to move inside for Lip Sync.  But, in they went and the performances will be remembered (?) as the greatest in Lip Sync’s XI years.  There were disco lights, not one, but two gimbals, setting a new AI record & possibly world record for most gimbals used at a lip sync party.  

Nick:  The Godfather

Paul:  You Can’t Do That

The BD:  Big Yellow Taxi

Sean:  Let’s Go Crazy

Emma: Pink Pony Girl

Marilyn:  He’ll Come Again

Rich:  Along Comes Mary

Reef:  Here Comes My Baby

Mitch:  Mama Told Me Not To Come

Nora:  Devil Is A Friend of Mine

Kaz:  I Want It That Way

Mitch & Jim on tape lip syncing themselves with Do You Wanna Dance

The performances were over but no one wanted the party to stop.  And it didn't.  A couple of oldie but goodies from The AI Production archives followed by a handful of classic music videos that had the Stans rocking and rolling and still drinking.

Three days complete.  The Banquet awaits…

Days 1-2 Recap

 It’s Flag Day at AI-XXIX and the Stans are gradually assembling at AI-HQ for day 3 of action and somnambulance.  By 7 pm on Day 1 everyone had made their way here and the frivolity commenced in earnest as well as in Highlands.  The BD & Papa Nick feted the assemblage  with one phenomenal pizza after another.  Stans got caught up with another’s comings & going since the last AI ensued fueled by several (sic) bottles of wine and a few Stanhattans.  

Day 2 was marked by the occasional rain shower, games of spades, scribbage, blockhead, 9 holes of golf and repeated trips for Ari in his now favorite mode of transportation the “golf cart.”

The BD came through on schedule as she always does with a feast of pigs in blankets, tater tots, mustard slaw, piles of fried chicken and banana pudding.  The evening was kind of quiet, at least by AI standards, but things picked up to the sound of shattering glassware.  This seemed to energize the group.  The party moved inside and a duel for attention and volume began between the OG Stans (Rich, Gordon, Jim & the TD) who were playing YouTube videos (again) and the young Stans who were seated around the dining room table trying to play a game amid the din.  Despite their proximity conversation was impossible so, in what will be remembered as a sea change in hierarchy at The AI,  Nick was drafted to ask the OG’s to turn it down, which he bravely did.

The torch has been passed.  

well....here we go

Memories….

 With about 33 hours to go, AI Productions in conjunction with Nick Weiss-Richmond thought it might be helpful to check the news from last year’s debacle to help set the tone for what lies ahead.  To be clear, Nick has not been consulted prior to this post and likely disavows any connection to it or anything associated with it or with AI Productions as it would likely be the end of his career.

https://youtu.be/SF3EZghqjf0?si=p3hIH6dW5vjKoTkD

AI-XXIX Coming Soon

like really soon...  Sean, Nick & AriStan arrived Saturday night and preparations are semi-frantically underway for the rest of the Stans arriving at various times Thursday afternoon.  AriStan has been busy arranging AI-HQ to his tastes, we hope you like the revised decor

Practice?

Hello again Stans,

Many of you (one actually) have inquired about whether AI-XXIX will again feature the annual Lip Sync performance night.  The answer is OF COURSE!!

Here is Edie-OCD showing the appropriate deference to the event

T-Minus Fifteen

 Hello Stans!

Well, would you look at that, it seems we’re a mere 15 days away from the kick off of AI-XXIX.  How did that happen?  Tempus fugit happened while The BD, Sean, Nick, Ari, Nora, Kate and I were enjoying a relaxing 6 months of wild fires, mud slides and the occasional earthquake. This was compounded by The BD’s and my densely busy schedules fraught with trying to remember which time zone we’re in, where everything (anything?) is in a given house and what time the PBS News Hour comes on. 

But fugit it has, and we now turn our full attention, to the extent we can concentrate for more than 5 minutes at a time, to preparing for the XXIXth iteration of what we’ve done XXVIII times previously while clearly learning absolutely nothing.  

Stans will again report from all sections of our once great county.  Nora, Kate G, Sean, Nick & Ari from the beleaguered SoCal; Rich from the suburbs of Elon’s Snailbrook, TX; Jim & Kate from Jim Thorpe, PA, a town named after a man who never set foot in it (at least while alive); Gordon & Edie from Central Florida, the erstwhile and also former home of The AI; and, Emma & Gracie reporting for the 2nd consecutive year from the Windy City and tempting fate by exposing fiancé Kevin to the relationship crucible that is The AI.  Inexplicably, long time AI Stan, Wally, has a scheduling conflict and will not be in attendance.  This is not only sad news but also surprising in that we were not aware that he had a schedule.

So, it begins...again.  Your lives, blissfully free of The AI for the past 11.5 months, will now be inundated with witty and incisive content such as the following gripping tale

🫡