(CNN) In an address to the nation Sunday night, U.S. President Barack Obama called bin Laden’s death “the most significant achievement to date in our nation’s effort to defeat al Qaeda.” Washington is nine hours behind Pakistan.

“Today, at my direction, the United States launched a targeted operation against that compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan,” Obama said. “A small team of Americans carried out the operation with extraordinary courage and capability. No Americans were harmed. They took care to avoid civilian casualties. After a firefight, they killed Osama bin Laden and took custody of his body.”

matthew Z

Daytime family fun ~ FREE

Bay City Boat Lines 

The Islander

Bay City Boat Lines provides narrated tours and private charter service aboard the excursion vessels Princess Wenonah and Islander. Free rides are offered weekdays at 10:00 a.m. during the summer season. Dinner cruises and special events are offered periodically and the vessels are available for private charters. The Princess and Islander depart from their dock on the east bank of the Saginaw River, south of Veterans Memorial Bridge. 

I have done the free tour and its a great way to spend a couple hours and you get a great history lesson of Bay City. It is kid friendly and handicapped accessible. Dress for the weather as the top is open, however the bottom is enclosed.  It is a  free (seriously FREE), roughly 2-hour tour of the Saginaw River; Narrated by local TV persoanlities.  Snacks and beverages (alcohol if you fancy that) are available for purchase as soon as the boat leaves port.  Tours are Monday thru Friday from 10am – 12noon.  Reservations needed.  I give this 2 thumbs up. Did I mention this is FREE!? 

Night life entertainment

The All-New Big House

The All-New Big House on Midland Street

The All-New Big House is an all 80′s & 90′s dance club located on Midland Street, in downtown Bay City!!! Featuring open mic night on Wednesdays,  Jedi Mind Trip on Thursdays, and Impact Sound Entertainment on Friday & Saturdays!!! Bay City’s only retro bar!

This party is totally gnarly!  The drinks are well made, cheap, and delivered by great waitstaff.  Oh yeah, NO COVER – EVER! That’s right, they don’t charge to get in.  Dressing retro is highly encouraged! 

They offer a slightly tilted pool table (believe you, me it helps), darts, neon lights, a huge painting of pac-man, and a rubix cube. Enjoy the party. Don’t forget to tell them matthew Z sent you.

Dining

Brady’s Sports Diner

Best pub chips!  Let me repeat this – BEST PUB CHIPS!  This is a classic sports diner.  Great food (might I recommend the Doyle burger or the Tuna Steak!?), cheap prices, cold beer, and lots of TV’s.  The bar area has a great view of Midland St with a huge front window.  Breakfast is served all day long and they have daily lunch/dinner specials that are definitely worth it. 

Gulino’s

There is something to be said about the ‘ole hole in the wall’ type diner, but this is more like a diamond in the rough.  Gulino’s opened at the worst time possible.  The Henry St. construction nightmare.  With the road closed to traffic for WAY TOO long, they made it.  If they can withstand the horrific scenario of that, something must be said for the food!  It’s great Italian cuisine.  The owners are extremely friendly and make for great conversation.  The dishes are HUGE and the prices are more than reasonable. Oh, and they deliver!  Call em up, you won’t be disappointed!

Events

River Roar – update coming soon!

Fourth of July Festival – update coming soon!

Be Cool Car Show – update coming soon!

Pig Gig – update coming soon!

Beaches

 Sanford Lake Park – update coming soon!

Places to visit

St. Lawrence Brothers – update coming soon!

I hope this gets you started on your next visit to Bay City.  Until anon, matthew Z.

the boys of Bubbler

Recently Bubbler Tuesday has been getting a lot of questions…what is it, where did it come from, why do you have them?  Well, all but the where did it come from can be answered here.  For the where, you have to think back to the year 2003.  The Space Shuttle Discover disintegrated over Texas during re-entry. Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Ðindic is assassinated in Belgrade. The US led coalition force invades Iraq. U. S. president George W. Bush lands on the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, where he gives a speech announcing the end of major combat in the 2003 Invasion of Iraq. A banner behind him declares “Mission Accomplished.”  SARS. Voters recall Governor Gray Davis from office and elect actor Arnold Schwarzenegger to succeed him. You get the idea, a lot of bad and crazy things were taking place. 

With all this though, there is some good. An instant cable series hit, premiered on FX called Nip/Tuck! The first episode was aired July 22, 2003. With all the things going on in the world, this is what we pay homage to.  Initially Jeff T. was the one who watched this.  One day over beers he told me about it.  Well fast forward to season three when they moved the series from the summer to the fall.  This couldn’t have been a better choice.  Tuesdays were when they wanted it to air, and Tuesdays were when we wanted to watch it.  It all came together and this started Bubbler Tuesdays!  Jeff had 2 shot glasses.  Although we only had 2, we would wash and pass.  This took some extra time, but ensured no germs!  We’re all germaphobes.

Bubbler Art

This third season brought about many changes for us.  Most notably was who.  Jeff, Amy, Missy, and me turned into Jeff, Amy, Missy, Dan, Shawn, Kyle, Josh, and me.  We would grow steady for a while. We would pre-party before the show began and then on commercials we’d discuss the show while pouring more shots.  We drank and shortly after we’d all head home.  We did this for a while but then life took us all on many different paths.  Some of us moved away, others just couldn’t fit it into the busy schedules. Bubbler Tuesday ended before we ever knew what we had.

Enter Shawn LaMere, round two. September 4th, 2009.  Long story short, Shawn’s girlfriend Ann called to tell me he was in the hospital with a brain tumor. The suspense.  The drama.  Whatever, he’s fine now.  They removed the tumor and he’s all good.  Maybe even better.  After his recovery was well under way, he said something along the lines of “we need to bring back Bubbler!”  Better words have never been spoken.  He’s a true renaissance man, sort of. 

Yesterday. Today. Tomorrow.  Bubbler Tuesday is an event unlike any other.  I challenge you to try one.  Go ahead, don’t be scared! 

Thank you Nip/Tuck.  Thank you Captain Morgan. Thank you Bubbler shot glass inventor. Most importantly though, I want to especially thank the wives, girlfriends, and fiancees of the men of Bubbler Tuesday.  Without your support, none of this could transpire the way it does each week.  We love you just a little bit more for this.  The way you allow us to let loose each week, keeps us on track and more sane, and helps make the world a better place. For that, I toast to you!

matthew Z

bubbler shot glass with scarf

Bubbler Tuesday.  Ah, say it with me.  Bubbler. Tuesday.  What, you say, is Bubbler Tuesday?  Bubbler Tuesday is a Tuesday; nonethesame as any other Tuesday save for it has a flared kick-ass ending to it.  Most start as any other day really.  You wake up, yawn, and then realize today is BUBBLER TUESDAY!  Then back to reality, you still have the long day ahead of you before you can even attempt to start the festivites.  Now, to some, this may thwart any possibility that the day could be good because you have to wait until after work hours to enjoy the celebration that will unleash. To others, like myself, it’s the fuel that drives me to make Tuesday great.  The illusion that nothing today will eff with me.  A reason to look at the grandieur of what tomorrow will lack in comparison to tonight. For today, will be another Bubbler Tuesday! But WHAT is it?  Simply put, it’s a celebration of me.  Not ME as in me, but to whomever is celebrating.  That ‘me’. 

It’s a get together of friends, co-workers, children, and families alike.  We congregate as if going on a shopping trip to a candy store.  The enthusiasm mounts all day until it’s time to go!  Count downs have even been witnessed. You show up at the location, which changes weekly.  Sometimes there is pizza to eat, sometimes a potluck. Other times, perhaps only snacks.  It just depends.  Greetings ensue.  Handshakes flurry, hugs give way to the break off into segmented clicks of happiness.  The women tend to assist the children on the paths of righteous clothes shedding at speeds that would challenge any racer of any kind, as they make ready the choas that will begin.  They make sure the places are ready for the blitz of traffic that will become about as normal as ordering off the dollar menu at your favorite fast food joint.  The kids, after their warmups, are set to play.  They begin a migration to happytown.  They move about the party almost unknown to most partygoers.  Except the occassional scream of ‘That’s mine!’, or just the high pitched yalp of kids in utter excitement, to have so many other kids to play with, they too enjoy this day as much as the adults.  This gives way to sounds that mimic what you would hear at a circus, or carnival. Mostly pleasant.  The men.  Well the men have all the advantages here.  We start with the traditional – ‘beer?’ question that leads to someone grabbing multiple beers to pass out to the eager mouths awaiting.  This jesture, although seemingly simple, is the opening act of the Tuesday bubbler olympiad ceremony.  With this ‘crack’ of beer, the night has officially begun.  This is often accompanied by talk of men.  Any given range of topics from work (most definitely work), cars, computers, IT – in general, P90X, the economy, politics, and sports.  Although there is no order or limit to what is discussed, it is certain to be rated G when ears of young-in’s are around, and respectful to all.  Oh, but do not dispair.   For when ears are deaf to the men, it’s a notch or two below rated X. 

My Bubbler

The second act is usually somewhat slow to begin.  It must be this way for a few reasons.  First, if there is food, we must help the kids eat, and start a base for ourselves, all while enjoying the first act.  Second, once this leg of the race has begun, anything can happen.   And finally, there is a natural balance, a dance if you will, of what can and will take place.  This is actually where the name comes from.  It starts like so.  Someone will say, either in regular conversation or lacking all conversation etiquitte – shots?  And like gazelles to a water hole, the men gather.  And gather quickly they do.  <ENTER STAGE LEFT the Sergent at Arms for the Changing of the Caps.>  Now folklore has it, the original ceremonial changing of the caps was started by Jeff T as a way to display to onlookers, spectators, or future participants the second act was now in progress and if you are wearing panties, you better drop em!  Now the soda is poured without regard to cleanliness in the bottom of the ‘bubbler’ shot glass.  This is followed by a ritual so pure, so elegant, so simple you almost have to see it to believe it.  The alcohol is layered upon the soda.  The liquids will stay separated until consumed. The recommended way to drink a bubbler is as follows: after filling the glass, tilt your head back and let the juices flow.  As the liquids come out of the glass, they will combine and make the shot much smoother. The last thing you taste is the chaser on bottom, so make it a good one!  Coke is the choice of most here.  Don’t be afraid of taking the whole thing down at once. It may look intimidating at first, but you’ll conquer your fear…and soon, you’ll bubble with the best of ‘em.  Chill the alcohol in the freezer – this allows for an extra smooth shot!  This is an easily overlooked step.  Do this, obey this, enjoy this! If you want a potent shot, make a reverse bubbler. I recommend only doing this on special occasions (birthdays, superbowls, odd numbered days, etc). Reverse the process: pour the alcohol in the bottom and the chaser on top = a double shot!  This can be extremely sneaky when it hits you.  Be warned! The trick here is to never allow the bubbler to be by itself.  Trust me, drinking alone, although sounds way cool, is somewhat of a cliche in terms of bubbler.  It must never be drank alone.  Capiche?

Depending on when you start phase two pretty much determines when phase three is entered.  Is it a one pint night?  2?  That all depends on many, many factors. Some days is slow and steady.  Maybe a shot every 30 minutes.  Some days it’s a shot every 10 minutes.  Where will you be in the spectrum of bubbler?  Experiement.  Try it on a Wednesday.  We’ve had to substitute different days before, but the Gods have chosen Tuesday and it’s our will to do it for them. 

Bubbler ends usually early.  10 or 1o:30pm.  The kids get packed up, the women make sure we don’t forget shoes, and usually drive the men home!  And then it’s back to the work week.  Oh what a night it is.  Try it out and let me know how it goes!  Start your own Bubbler Tuesday ring! 

You need shot glasses?!  No problem.  You can buy expensive ones from Whiskey companies, or get some from here.  I have both kinds; they both work fine.

Until anon, matthew Z