Fun Weekend

Wow...had nothing planned this weekend, but managed to have a good time. On Saturday we all (wife, 2 boys) went to Stanley Park to check out the petting zoo. I keep seeing this little park (well, little by Canadian standards) from the train so we stopped there first. It's bigger than I thought (complete with a pool and a few swings and a jungle gym as well as acres of green grass) and being near the water (there's an inlet that runs up from Lion's Gate Bridge to Port Moody) it was quite nicely nestled between the container port and the grain elevators.

Then it was off to Stanley Park...we made a (30-minute) loop around the thing before we stopped for information (ya, I'm a guy) and found that it was closed. So, it was off to a little beach where the kids played in the sand near the waves and some fish 'n' chips and hot dogs and we were off again.

Finally, we made a stop at Rocky Point Park (some pics of this one here) for a while...3 beaches in one day all along Indian Arm (as the inlet is called).

Sunday was another got-to-Ikea-for-the-free-playarea day. Winston, true to form, fell asleep as soon as we got there so Kate and I had time to talk...30 minutes seemed like a luxury and we had a whole hour! After that I washed the sis-in-law's car (I figure I better, as I use it a fair bit) and vacuum the house (Cinderella, Cinderella!) then off to the mall with Spencer. He loves shopping and Kate loves the break (she stayed at home)...Spencer's a little more rambunctious than Winston. We then got some sushi and went to Rocky Point and then another park to scare some hapless ducks and other fowl (pics from a previous visit here).

What a life, eh?

Now for the books. I finished Fleecing the Lamb: The Inside Story of the Vancouver Stock Exchange on the weekend. Very good. It was written in 1987 and I was recommended it in 1994 as I exited university...but it's probably better that I read it now, after a few years in the 'real' markets. Basically, the VSE was a very corrupt place...and probably still is to some extent even though the TSE took over it and the Alberta Stock Exchange (naming them the TSX: Venture Exchange) after Bre-X and Cartaway (2 BIG scandals) blew up real good.

I also started, and gave up on, It was a Very Good Year: Extraordinary Moments in Stock Market History. The author is a Harvard grad and MD (Managing Director) of Merrill Lynch...but it just wasn't all that interesting. His writing style is too bookish for me. I like to be held to the story a little, but he just throws facts, facts and more facts at you with tons of quotes from sources of the day (isn't that for the 'Sources' are of the book?) I'll have to trundle down to the library later today and take a look for a couple more.

Now, to work.