I'm Just Wild About Harry, Revised (Read)

I highly recommended the well-written and funny Harry, Revised, the debut novel by Mark Sarvas. Harry Rent is a doctor with a Bel Air mansion and a convertible. But he's really a loser. When his wife dies, he seeks to reinvent himself and land a young, sexy waitress at the local greasy spoon. Although, I had a serious dislike of Rent at first, he, and the book, grew on me ...

Harry, Revised was selected for the The Morning News' Tournament of Books. Click here to see how Sarvas' book did against another Distractions favorite -- City of Refuge. And see my post about the Tournament of Books from last year right here.

And check out Sarvas' highly regarded lit blog The Elegant Variation.

Don't Drink the Vitamin Water Kool-Aid

Anybody else notice that Gatorade has been replaced on the sidelines at the NCAA Tournament by Vitamin Water? How did that happen and when? I was always skeptical of the Vitamin Water brand, now even more so since it has flexed its Coca-Cola muscles. If you're a Vitamin Water fan and you think it's a smart drink, look at the label. It ain't water. And it ain't juice. And it's loaded with tons of sugar.

Want to try something different, yet somewhat healthier? I've gotten hooked on Whole Foods' 365 brand of "nutrient enhanced water," specifically the go-go Mangosteen flavor. Yes, as you can see from the picture above, it has horrible packaging. And they're not easy to find at my Whole Foods.

But the nutrient enhanced water has a much a better taste than Vitamin Water. And it's a cleaner drink. You'd be surprised at all the junk in Vitamin Water.

Picking on the Slumdog Millionaire

The wife and I finally saw Slumdog Millionaire the other night. It was more violent than I thought, but definitely an uplifting film -- and one of the most unique and captivating films I've seen over the last few years. Danny Boyle is a great story-teller. But like other quirky movies (Juno, Little Miss Sunshine) that surprisingly hit it big, Slumdog has run into some critical backlash. This type of thing has always bugged me, so it was great to see Nicky Hornby's recent post on this. See it here.

I'm back ....

"Man wearing an "I (Heart) My Marriage" t-shirt arrested after trying to strangle his wife.

Distractions is currently on hiatus.

Listening to Deja Vu All Over Again (Heard)

Someone Else's Deja Vu. Son, Ambulance.
Buy on Insound.
Buy on eMusic.

Joe Knapp, the force behind Son, Ambulance, is often overshadowed by fellow Saddle Creek bands Bright Eyes and Cursive.

Despite the horrible cover, Son, Ambulance's latest CD is an ambitious and satisfying full-length that should win over fans of those labelmates. Knapp kicks off with the tropicala-lite Girl from Ipanema, er, New York City before diving into the most impressive song -- Lizard of Lizeth. Over 6:18, Knapp runs the map from Paul Simon-like soft rock to a very Pink Floydish conclusion.

The rest of Deja Vu careens from soft folk to uniquely-arranged ballads. It's a project that rewards repeated listens.

But you have to admit. That is one awful album cover.

What Are We Waiting For?

(Tuesday Treasure is a weekly song that is unheralded, long-lost, or buried somewhere deep on an album, yet deserves another listen.)

The term supergroup has lost some of its lustre in recent years. It was once only used for bands with iconic rock god status -- such as Eric Clapton. No longer. The word gets tossed around like adoption papers in the Jolie household.

But the Yayhoos are a "supergroup" of sorts that deserves your attention -- if you haven't heard of them already. You won't recognize the names of the actual artists, but let me roll of the bands they've been associated with -- Georgia Satellites, Joan Jett, Steve Earle, Bottle Rockets, Billy Joe Shaver.

Their first CD Fear Not the Obvious kicked off with this raucous song. It's one of the great album lead-off tracks. Enjoy this song, but think of buying the album. It closes with a killer cover of Abba's Dancing Queen.

Tuesday Treasure 2/10