By the numbers

• Name: Jim McLennan
  Actually, James Hay McLennan. I kept the middle bit quiet at school, obviously. It's my mother's maiden name. Could've been worse...
• Date of Birth: 16th April, 1966
  One day after Samantha Fox. So much for astrology.
• Place of Birth: Forres, Scotland
  A nice place to visit, but you wouldn’t want to live there...
• Height: 5'8"
  Er...172 cm for those, unlike me who can think in metric. Though I actually work in a bizarre mix: size in Imperial, weight in Metric.
• Weight: 72.6 kg.
  ...see what I mean?
• Employment: Integration analyst/programmer
  Y'know, one day, I really must get round to finding out what this actually is. I think it involves sitting about not letting people release software unless they beg.
• Unwatched movie pile: four
  Not bad going by my standards: Bottle Rocket, Mallrats, The Matrix (commentary version, off the DVD -- maybe they’ll explain the plot), and Wild Things, which I’ve seen twice before, but hey, sue me.
• Undrunk beer pile: four
  Spooky, huh? Is this significant? Actually, they’ve been there for well over a month now, being a hangover from our lodger’s farewell booze-up. Then I went on holiday, came back, and hit sobriety for all of September... Hmmm...
• Undrunk beer pile (revised figure): three
  Nope, they don’t seem to have gone off.
• Non-beer contents of fridge: One pint milk, jar of jam, bottle of chocolate sauce
  About average. Food tends to come in, and progress from front-door to stomach, without ever pausing. I believe the technical term for this is 'zero inventory nutrition'.
• Current bedside reading material (no, not that sort): My Tiny Life, Julian Dibbell
  Bit of a mind-stretcher this, about the virtual worlds of MUDs and MOOs. I can relate to some of this, having played back in university days on the first MUD at Essex, which ended in me getting charged with hacking by the authorities there and almost losing my degree. A bit of a pisser after four years study: it is thus with great glee that I now ignore and tear up all pleas for donations from my alma mater. Dibbell's book is pretty philosophical, discussing mind-warpers like how computer commands are true magic, in that they are language which make things happen. I've just stared at my computer screen for five straight minutes trying to think of something to say about this, but can't.
• Undrunk beer pile (re-revised figure): two
  Maybe if I drink enough, this computer magic stuff will make sense...
• Currently playing CD: Various Artists, Tranceformer
  Though wild horses wouldn't drag me within a million miles of Ibiza, I admit to a certain growing fondness for techno as background radiation when on the computer or Playstation. The exception is when playing Grand Theft Auto, which has to be accompanied by Kid Rock's spectacularly non-PC thrash rap, a lethal mix which usually leaves me with a disturbing desire to mow down columns of Hare Krishna devotees with buses. It's probably a very good thing I don't have a car.
• Currently wearing T-shirt: New York Yankees #46
  Though I really support the Arizona Diamondbacks. Back in February, on a whim in Vegas, I stuck $20 on them to win the World Series. The man behind the counter openly sniggered, and at odds of 34-1, who can blame him? Except that, seven months later, they've just won their division and are into the last eight... Expect to hear more about this over the next month. In an increasingly hysterical and high-pitched tone, with any luck.
• Plans for the weekend: somewhat fluid
  I have stuff to do, but most of it is "fit it in sometime", which usually means "leave it to the last minute". I think the problem is that I prefer more structured weekends, containing carefully scheduled periods of inactivity, alternating with frenetic spells of doing nothing at all. Be it shopping, socializing or cinemaing, I tend to do more during the week, simply because everyone else does it at the weekend. The prospect, for example, of queuing to get into a pub is simply...I dunno, words fail me. Time to call Stella for some inspiration...
• Undrunk beer pile (conservative estimate): one
  Thought for the day: no pub which charges admission is ever worth it.
• Last film seen: South Park
  Like the TV series, a mix of the gloriously sick and the wildly misfiring. Except they can say "fuck". And, boy, do they ever. Best line, regarding menstruation: "I don’t trust anything that bleeds for five days and doesn’t die."
• Favourite TV show: ah, now there's a question...
  The problem with TV these days is that you just don't know where you are. I mean, take Buffy [the merest mention of whom will get the hit count soaring. Hopefully...]. I saw most of the first series on BBC2, which got gradually better. What I've seen of the second season, sucks: way too much drippy Angel. The third season, with evil slayer Faith, has been seen largely thanks to the kindness of TCs American Ambassador (currently hoping for a post in the Cayman Islands, but that's another editorial!), and kicks arse. So is it a good show or not? It may be a symptom of the increasing fragmentation of popular culture, that there are no longer any good shows, only good episodes. And there are no longer good films, just good moments. South Park is a perfect case in point. But do you know what I think?
• Undrunk beer pile (definitive answer): none
  I think I'll have another beer...

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