New Year’s Resolution: When I’m ever in a tight situation, I’ll ask myself: What would Shaft do?
(By the way, I’m referring to the Old School Shaft. Samuel Jackson is a badass, to be sure, but the New School version was missing something.)
Shaft: Warms my black heart to see you so concerned ’bout us minority folks.
Lt. Androzzi: Oh, come on, Shaft, what is it with this black shit, huh? (Holding a black pen to Shaft’s face) You ain’t so black!
Shaft: (Holding a white coffee cup to Androzzi’s face) And you ain’t so white, baby.
OS X and 256 MB of RAM dropped into the old school iBook? Check. Copy of Mac OS X Programming? Check. Project Builder and Interface Builder? Check.
Latest XP patches and version of Microsoft Visual Studio? Check. Accelerated C++? Check. Programming Windows with MFC, Second Edition? Check.
Red Hat 7.2? Check. Latest Python? Check. wxWindows? Check. Linux Socket Programming? Check.
New Year’s Resolution: Be the progammer equivalent of Shaft. “It’s my duty to make software kick booty.”
First, an observation from a nifty blog, How To Learn Swedish In 1000 Difficult Lessons (which I found while reading another nifty blog, Objectionable Content):
The Swedes are not a skeptical people. They have an endearingly childlike willingness to participate. They believe in joining in on reindeer games.
Take an office party, just as an example. An office party could start off with everyone drinking vodka cocktails, followed by an office choir singing traditional Swedish and American Christmas carols. Then, everyone could sit down and a toastmaster would present the evening. Then two old guys from the office could get up and play electric guitars and sing songs about the company, but to the tune of “Alice’s Restaurant.” And everyone, but everyone happily joins in on the choruses, and starts to clap along.
If it were America, everyone would be looking around to see if anyone else was clapping. As for singing along, well, social singing is a lost art in America I fear.
New Year’s Resolution: Do my part to revive the lost art of social singing in North America. I’m sure Isaac Hayes (who wrote Theme from Shaft) would approve.
I’d been meaning to get more accordion practice and I have a really good reason now — I’m going to be backing a singer/songwriter named Lindi at her CD release party on January 31st.
It’s just one of those lucky coincidences that happens when I bring my accordion with me when I step out. I was at my friend Eric’s party, and Lindi saw the accordion and asked if I would like to gig with her. For my friends and other Toronto-area folk, the location hasn’t yet been finalized — it’ll be at either the Rivoli or B-Side. Details soon.
New Year’s Resolution: Practice accordion more often. At home and on the street. Yeah, on the street. Just like Shaft.
Very Unlikely-to-happen New Year’s Resolution: Seduce incredibly sexy British TV cooking show host Nigella Lawson. Hey, Nigella, I’m pretty good in the kitchen, and some other rooms in the house to boot…
“Oh that a man’s reach should exceed his grasp, or what’s a Heaven for?”
Besides, it’s what Shaft would do.
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