Monday Malaise

* In a normally weak week, I like to see the market drift sideways and consolidate gains. Having bought JDSU last week, I've been looking for other opinions and such on it, and one thing I forgot about was the small-cap January effect. An article up at realmoney.com brought my focus to it, and this is where beaten down small caps tend to rally the last month of the year and into January. It's almost too widely known to be of much use, but it's something to watch. (Right or wrong!)

* I watched the first two movies of the Matrix trilogy. Over the weekend, caught the second one again. I think I'm going to hunker down this week and watch the finale.

* If I wait long enough, I won't have to worry about decorating for Christmas. That's a strategy that served me well last year, as I didn't have to take down Christmas and put it away later. A real time saver!

* "You can observe a lot just by watching." - Yogi Berra.

* Blog Tout: Every Topic in the Universe(s?)

* MRK down today, and they have a guidance report on wednesday morning. Seems like folks are expecting bad news. You think investors have it right or wrong? It's a gamble to play it.

* Drink for your health!

* Is that you buying Sun Microsystems today?

* Well, we're borrowing for everything else. Why not borrow to save Social Security?

* Just who is Jerry Orbach and why is he at the top of the Yahoo Buzz index today?