It's the viral countdown

There is a Facebook application that allows one to affix digital countdowns to one's profile page. These countdowns can count down to anything you like - the number of days, hours and minutes until your sister Bethany's wedding, your trip to Disneyworld with Cousin Selina or, perhaps, an important court hearing with Uncle Dave. But as well as customising them for personal use, you might also choose to display more popular countdowns. In December, for example, many people of a religious or gift-orientated bent displayed the number of days left until Christmas. And, as a singleton, I am shocked to see how many people are advertising the remaining days and hours until the commencement of St Valentine's Day. Retch.

At present, the second and third most anticipated items for Facebook users are the start of the fourth series of Lost, with 11,696 people counting down and the release of the next Harry Potter movie, with 12,909 followers. But at number one, with a whopping 17,053 people counting down, the event most Facebook users are excited about is the End of the Bush Regime on 20 January 2009. I added the countdown to my page but suddenly spared a thought for George W. It would be weird to think that 17,053 people were eagerly anticipating the date I was made redundant but I guess that's just one of the hazards of taking on the job of US President.

A nice weekend for me - out all day yesterday with lovely people and then wine with same in the early evening. I had thought I was going to see some comedy later on with a few other friends so felt like two large glasses of red wine would be a suitable sharpener for the night ahead. However, I then found out that we were instead going to see the hotly-anticipated and quite-heavy-going No Country For Old Men. Sobriety was required and after ducking into KFC, I scampered down Upper Street delicately shoveling chicken pieces and fries into my mouth. That whole 'No More Cheap Chicken' initiative is really working well for me...

Today I've been to Habitat where I managed to select and purchase the only two items that were not massively reduced in the sale. I also bought a random footstool in a 'unique' Hammersmith shop, improbably called It's Fab! Antiques. There's no grammar, there's no sense - but it's full of kitsch and I was drawn to it like a moth to a bonfire. Now my own private countdown to the new series of American Idol begins - I'm so excited I can barely inhale although after my Simon Cowell dream I tend to blush when he's on screen. I'll have to overcome my crush sooner rather than later as the season finale is not until May and it would be unpleasant to spend the next five months in red-faced discomfort. See you next week.