This month’s #tsql2sDay is hosted by Jen McCown ( blog | twitter ) and Jen’s question is “What techie resolutions have you been pondering, and why?”

And a quick congrats to Ms McCown on her new SQL Server MVP Award!

I Resolve to Draw More Geeky Pictures

Last night I wondered, “How would I draw a picture of the Storage Engine?”

So that’s what I’m going to do this year. I’m going to draw the storage engine and all its friends, plus much more.

Not every blog post or presentation slide will have drawings, but there will be lots more than last year. (See that? That’s an achievably vague goal!)

Uh, Why Would You Draw a Picture of the Storage Engine?

I think it helps share how I see the world.

But mostly I think it’s fun. I like to make my presentation slides colorful and interesting to look at.

I don’t think simple, creative art dumbs anything down. I think it just makes discussing complex concepts more fun, and having a playful image can make it easier to remember things.

Why Now?

I finally got a new drawing tablet, which I’ve wanted for ages. Unlike my old tiny tablet purchased long ago, this one has drivers that play nicely with my operating systems! I saved up my nickels and my family pitched in funds as my Christmas present, and now I have a lovely new Wacom Intuos tablet with which to create all sorts of madness.

I do all my drawing with The Gimp. I’ve used it for years and I love it. Thanks Gimp for being so awesome. And so free.

So, if the Storage Engine is Cake, What’s the Optimizer?

I knew  you were going to ask that. So I asked it myself.

The optimizer is clearly an octopus with many pairs of eyeglasses.

What does  it look like when an Octopus gets ahold of a bunch of cake? Keep reading this  year to find out.