This is my home game entry for The Real LJ Idol competition (therealljidol). While I'm no longer competing, I will write on the week's topic when I feel inspired.

This week's topic was broken into three steps. This is the first step, which was to revise a prior entry. I think my two most disappointing entries were on the topics "You're So Vain - You Probably Think This Topic Is About You" and "Current Events." In both cases, I believe it was because large portions of the text were taken from other sources, even though I stitched them together. So here's a new approach to both topics.

Attention, universe. Enough already! Barely a week after losing Tim Russert, one of the greatest political journalists of our time, we lose one of America's great comedians and commentators, George Carlin.

Yesterday morning, I took my 2002 Ford Focus to the Ford dealer for the 55,000 check and an oil change.

I had brought a book so I could read in the waiting room, but the conversation around me grew more interesting, and I took notes in the little notebook I carry. What started as a slice of life poem expanded into a full narrative of the conversation around me.