idiom for constructor?

[Mac]

This was the direction I was aiming for initially, and I have used this
form before, but was hoping there was a way I could go one step
further, and somehow get rid of the repetition of "self."...  Heh,
ideally:

  self.{a,b,c,d} = a,b,c,d

Alas, not Python syntax... :)

I do like Steven's form of a solution, and I think I'll give it a spin
for the really ugly spots (refactoring is too expensive right now;
prototype-code).