let me take you to a place i know you want to go
it’s a good life
hey yeah

i don’t wanna stand around and beg you
just don’t say no
no no
no no

i have got a feeling that you’re gonna like it what i’m doing to you
ooh ooh ooh
and when i’m doing what i’m doing i’ll be doing what you want to me to do
hey

love is shining
life is thriving in the good life
good life

good life
good life
good life
good life
in the good life
good life

the feeling that you get from the good life…
hey
once you get the good life feeling
let me tell you no one can take it away
no no
no no

no more bad times only glad times in the good life
good life

good life
good life
good life
good life
in the good life
good life

good life
good life
good life
good life
in the good life
good life

when the groove is rockin nothing feels as good as a good life
hey hey oh
i want you to want me
i want the good life all night
hey

no more rainy days
the sun will chase the clouds away in the good life

good life
good life
good life
good life
in the good life
good life

good life
good life
good life
good life
in the good life
good life

good life
good life
good life
good life
in the good life
good life

no nore sorrow
nothing borrowed in the good life
good life

good life
good life
good life
good life
in the good life
good life

Baby, baby, baby
What’s it gonna be
Baby, baby, baby
Is it him or is it me?
Don’t make me waste my time
Don’t make me lose my mind baby

Baby, baby, baby
Can’t u stay with me tonight
Oh baby, baby, baby
Don’t my kisses please u right
U were so hard 2 find
The beautiful ones, they hurt u everytime

Paint a perfect picture
Bring 2 life a vision in one’s mind
The beautiful ones
Always smash the picture
Always everytime

If I told u baby
That I was in love with u
Oh baby, baby, baby
If we got married
Would that be cool?

U make me so confused
The beautiful ones
U always seem 2 lose

Baby, baby,
Baby, baby,
Baby, baby,
Baby,
What’s it gonna be baby?

Do u want him?
Or do u want me?
Cause I want u
Said I want u
Tell me, babe
Do u want me?
I gotta know, I gotta know
Do u want me?
Baby, baby, baby
Listen 2 me
I may not know where I’m going (babe)
I said I may not know what I need
One thing, one thing’s 4 certain baby
I know what I want, yeah
and if it please u baby
please u, baby
I’m begging down on my knees
I want u
Yes I do
Baby, baby, baby, baby
I want you

Yes I do

Wendy
Yes Lisa
Is the water warm enough
Yes Lisa
Shall we begin
Yes Lisa

Where is my love life
Where can it be
There must be something wrong with the machinery

Where is my love life
Tell me
Where has it gone
Somebody please please tell me what the hell is wrong

Till I find the righteous one
Computer blue
Till I find the righteous one
Computer blue

Com-pu-ter-blue

I am the eye of the hurricane
I hear your cries and I feel no pain
I wash away the hurt and broken chains
After all these years your heart’s so cold to me

Give me all the things that you don’t need
Fill me up with the air you breathe
If I ever see the day that you don’t need me
Use me up, cut me dry, shut my mouth, say goodbye

I’ll let go of what I know
Break my world
Break my world

I sit inside of an empty room
Your heart is heavy and it’s lonely too
I give you more then I’m over you
After all this time your eyes are cold to me

Give me all the things that you don’t need
Fill me up with the air you breathe
If I ever see the day that you don’t want me
Use me up, cut me dry, shut my mouth, say goodbye

I’ll let go of what I know
Break my world
Break my world
Break my world
Break my world

Use me up, cut me dry, shut my mouth, say goodbye
I’ll let go of what I know
Break my world
Break my world

Break my world
Break my world

You broke it
You broke it
You broke it

You broke it
You broke it
You broke it

where was i when you were walking away
you didn’t say goodbye
you didn’t hear me call when i asked you to stay
but now you want to start again

oh not love
no no no no not love

?
you’re trying hard to change my mind
i can’t go back to those lonely hours
of being in love with you

oh not love
no no no no not love

the words you said were never ever true
never true never true
and now you say you want to start something new
something new

oh not love
no no no no not love

I’ve lost the use of my heart
But I’m still alive
Still looking for the life
The endless pool on the other side
It’s a wild wild west
I’m doing my best

I’m at the borderline of my faith,
I’m at the hinterland of my devotion
In the frontline of this battle of mine
But I’m still alive

I’m a soldier of love.
Every day and night
I’m soldier of love
All the days of my life

I’ve been torn up inside
I’ve been left behind
So I ride
I have the will to survive

In the wild wild west,
Trying my hardest
Doing my best
To stay alive

I am love’s soldier!

I wait for the sound

I know that love will come
Turn it all around

I’m a soldier of love
Every day and night
I’m a soldier of love
All the days of my life

I am lost
but I don’t doubt
So I ride
I have the will to survive

In the wild wild west,
Trying my hardest
Doing my best
To stay alive

I am love’s soldier!

I wait for the sound

I know that love will come
I know that love will come
Turn it all around

I’m a soldier of love
I’m a soldier

Still waiting for love to come
Turn it all around

I’m a soldier of love
I’m a soldier

Still waiting for love to come
Turn it all around

Still waiting for love to come

When I found out this love’s undone
I was like a gun, sure as it was over
Felt like nothing good could come

Sure as it’s gonna play and play
Like Michael back in the day

I’m gonna peel you away

Now as I begin to wash you off my skin
I’m gonna peel you away
‘Cause you’re not right within

I love you so
Sometimes love has to let go

So this time don’t think it’s a lie
I say goodbye

Now as I begin to wash you off my skin
I’m gonna peel you away
‘Cause you’re not right within

Now it’s time to wash you off my skin

Now as I begin, it couldn’t be right
‘Cause you’re not right within

I say goodbye

Old video from Lovers Rock.

I’m crying everyone’s tears
And there inside our private war
I died the night before
And all of these remnants of joy and disaster
What am I suppose to do

I want to cook you a soup that warms your soul
But nothing would change, nothing would change at all
It’s just a day that brings it all about
Just another day and nothing’s any good

The DJ’s playing the same song
I have so much to do
I have to carry on
I wonder if this grief will ever let me go
I feel like I am the king of sorrow, yeah
The king of sorrow

I suppose I could just walk away
Will I disappoint my future if I stay
It’s just a day that brings it all about
Just another day and nothing’s any good

The DJ’s playing the same song
I have so much to do
I have to carry on
I wonder will this grief ever be gone
Will it ever go
I’m the king of sorrow, yeah
The king of sorrow

I’m crying everyone’s tears
I have already paid for all my future sins
There’s nothing anyone
Can say to take this away
It’s just another day and nothing’s any good

I’m the king of sorrow, yeah
King of sorrow
I’m the king of sorrow, yeah
King of sorrow

I step off the train
I’m walking down your street again
I passed your door
But you don’t live there anymore
It’s years since you’ve been there
And now you’ve disappeared somewhere
Like outer space
You’ve found some better place

And I miss you
Like the deserts miss the rain
And I miss you
Like the deserts miss the rain

Could you be dead
You always were two steps ahead
Of everyone
We’d walk behind while you would run

I look up at your house
And I can almost hear you shout
Down to me
Where I always used to be

And I miss you
Like the deserts miss the rain
And I miss you
Like the deserts miss the rain

Back on the train
I ask
Why did I come again
Can I confess
I’ve been hanging ’round your old address
The years have proved
To offer nothing since you moved
You’re long gone
But I can’t move on

And I miss you
Like the deserts miss the rain
And I miss you
Like the deserts miss the rain

Words like violence
Break the silence
Come crashing in
Into my little world
Painful to me
Pierce right through me
Can’t you understand
Oh my little girl

All I ever wanted
All I ever needed
Is here in my arms
Words are very unnecessary
They can only do harm

Vows are spoken
To be broken
Feelings are intense
Words are trivial
Pleasures remain
So does the pain
Words are meaningless
And forgettable

Shooting things around the house.

For the past three years in Dallas, WE ARE MICROSOFT has put together a weekend event that pairs local charities with software developers in a monumental effort to provide the charities access to the latest and greatest software technologies.

Thanks to the hard work of many dedicated developers, charities, an array of sponsors, vendors, Microsoft MVPs and an unlimited supply of caffeine, the event was an enormous success.

Photographing the event was also a challenge.

First and formemost I didn’t want to be a distraction to the developers.  They were already working with a very difficult schedule (each team had only two days to design, build and deploy an application) and some of them were working with people and technologies that they were unfamiliar with prior to the event.  Most importantly, when a developer was “in the zone” they certainly didn’t need me taking them out of it.  Being a developer I know how frustrating that can be.

With this in mind I developed a strategy to sneak around and get some good candid shots.

A strobe would have drawn too much attention so I had to rely on available light.  And when I found myself in a situation where I would normally rip ten or fifteen shots in order to get a variety of expressions, I  had to be patient enough to capture a good image with a single, hopefully unnoticeable, click.

Most of my shots were taken with a Sigma 70mm-300mm lens. I used this lens to keep as much distance as possible between me and my subjects, reducing the chance that I might distract them.  The lens doesn’t have any type of vibration reduction so some of the images are not as sharp as I’d like them to be, especially when the lens was racked out all the way.

Besides taking photos I had an opportunity to help with a wide variety of tasks ranging from Team Foundation Server support to taking the trash out to the dumpster.  It felt good to help the volunteers that were helping the charities that are helping the community.

For the list of charities and sponsors that participated in this event please visit the WeAreMicrosoft.com website.

In closing I’m pleased to report that this project that started in Dallas has now grown into a national phenomenon, known as GiveCamp.  For more information about GiveCamp please visit the GiveCamp.org website.

More photos of this event can be found on my WAM2010 Flickr page.