Self-joining a channel.
Code:
//.parseline -itq : $+ $ial($me) JOIN : $+ $chan

Blanking the nicklist.
Code:
//.parseline -itq : $+ $server 353 $me = $chan :
//.parseline -itq : $+ $server 366 $me $chan :End of /NAMES

Adding your name to the nicklist.
Code:
//.parseline -itq : $+ $server 353 $me = $chan : $+ $me
//.parseline -itq : $+ $server 366 $me $chan :End of /NAMES


This just appears to be a client behavior. mIRC doesn't add your own name to the nicklist when you join a channel because it expects to find it in the NAMES listing, and it doesn't want you to think you are alone in the channel as you await the NAMES listing. Other people's names are added to the nicklist on JOIN because this happens after NAMES has already been received.

mIRC seems to know when YOU join a channel, so that it can make the channel active and bring it to the foreground. Sending the above JOIN parseline command makes mIRC pop the channel into the foreground. (I personally dislike this behavior, and wish mIRC didn't bring self-joined channels to the foreground as this induces flicker spam on reconnect.)

Well. At least I won lunch.
Good philosophy, see good in bad, I like!