It might as well be spring

Dear friends,
whoa, I have audience! People are really reading my blog! Not enough, some even add it to their RSS feeds (Philipp, I have always believed in you! ;-)) ... I am speechless! Really! And of course, this is the greatest motivation for keeping on writing about this crazy life and secondly it demands for increasing quality of my posts. I will try to do my best ... so, let me entertain you! ;-)

This won't be today's record since I already decided this afternoon while I was searching in one of the still remaining boxes ... I found a really incredible CD. Incredible not because of its amazing quality, but because of the fact that I own it! The name already tells you what to expect: "The Gold Album". And it contains some of the strangest romantic songs ever recorded or how they call it "100 % original substance". Uah!

However, some songs are not that bad and all in all this CD is a perfect fit for another crazy/sunny spring day. So, what did I do? I put on Track 11, meaning "Love is in the air" by John Paul Young.* I have to admit that I love this song. Very Iris somehow! Especially when dancing through this apartment at night ... yes, this happens! Another strange ritual next to dark chocolate at night.

Another one is watching old "Sex and the City" episodes and I still believe it's one of the best series ever produced. I went for the first season yesterday (when the outfits were still really 90s and American). Episode 7 is dedicated to the question if it's possible to be a monogamist. A woman answered "Yes, I like it being monogamic. It's nice, familiar and cosy. And you don't have to shave your legs that often!" HAA!! I was clapping my hands. If this is the female answer to that question, what's the male? ;-)

Ah, and so we arrived at the everlasting bestseller ... the story about men and women! Or how Loriot calls it "Maenner und Frauen passen einfach nicht zusammen" (if you are not speaking German ... well no problem, not speaking the same language is the destiny of female and male existence ;-). Anyway, I found this great picture on the web today:

And what's your portion?


Yours,
Iris

* I won't answer the question if I am in love just because of the fact I was listening to this song today! :-)

IP Jones

Dear friends,
well done Vienna! Now that I am gone you finally get in action with hold-up and hostage-taking. And what do I get? "Bilder vom Schauplatz" ... meaning some boring pictures on the ORF website and even some video on their IPTV offer (IPTV?)!

But what details? The hostage-taker claimed Cola light. Why don't demand for tin prosecco and you will get Paris Hilton as a gift! That I'd call a Happy Meal! ;-)

Hm, what a thrill! And I am not there. Did you know I was called Miss Marple during my Salzburg time? Maybe because I resolved a thievery once but sure because of my research skills. Men know! ;-)) However, at the end Miss Marple sounded to old and "dusty". So, I was named IP Jones during a morning underground ride in Vienna some years ago. That is much more sexy and appropriate I guess! ;-) (Tomstone, don't claim the copyright now! ;-)

So, this means we need a very special record of the day: "Have you met Miss Jones?" originally recorded by Frank Sinatra, here in a great Robbie Williams cover version on "Swing when you're winning":

Have you met Miss Jones
Someone said as we shook hands
She was just Miss Jones to me

Then I said Miss Jones
You're a girl who understands
I'm a man who must be free.

And all at once I lost my breath
And all at once was scared to death
And all at once I own the earth and sky

Now I met Miss Jones
And we'll keep on meeting till we die
Miss Jones and I

And all at once I lost my breath
And all at once was scared to death
And all at once I own the earth and sky

Now I met Miss Jones
And we'll keep on meeting till we die
Miss Jones and I
Miss Jones and I


Yours,
special agent IP Jones :-)

Bad girl

Dear friends,
I know I was lazy! Such a bad girl! :-) But there is so much going on these days, so I couldn't manage to write all my thoughts down. Finally, it's another Milan night with an enlightened apartment in Via Solari playing another groovy song. Today I went for a special version of a great U2 hymn: "I still haven't found what I'm looking for", live recording of the Madison Square Garden concert on September 28, 1987, to be found on "Rattle and Hum".

I promised to take some Milan pictures and started today with the catch of a great sunset and light blue hour this afternoon. Simply watch my kyte channel and get the "Milan late winter sunset" show. And yes, the backyard is pretty Italian, isn't it? ;-)

Many of you asked me again when I will finally manage to give my farewell party in Vienna. Honestly, I don't know by now! So, I guess it has to be my next birthday or something else but the farewell is already over I believe. So, call for entries on the party purpose! I like these motto things anyway. :-)

No further stories today. This Iris will go to bed now and sleep some hours as I don't want to be named "pipistrello/a" (engl. bat) in history! Because this would mean that I am batwoman ... Hm, but batman has never been my hero! Guess who?

So instead of being the bat girl I remain to be the bad girl ... always, forever ... ;-)

Yours,
Iris

Digital Carnival

Dear friends,
deliverance! I did the full program today: Cappuccio and Brioche for breakfast, "il mio panino solito" for lunch and "per aperitivo un Spritz al Caffècioccolata" (best outside Venezia). And every walk to the bar was great pleasure playing with the spring sun. You know what? It's not only the sun and its light but also the scent, this special scent in early spring that makes the difference to a late winter day. Sure, the rain will come in March but sometimes it's just pure anticipation we need to feel good!

So, I was asked today if we also have carnival here in Italy! Well, I'd say I have carnival all year long - not only because of the costumes in my wardrobe. ;-) I believe we don't need this anymore. No masks. No fancy dresses in which we look like complete fools (at least when dry ;-). The carnival of the 21th century was opened with the invention of chat rooms and online communication tools - the advantage? Change your mask within a second and stay incognito. Ya, that's really carnival in the digital age ... :-)

Again, it's 3 am. Time for bed. But also time for the selection of today's record. I go for a cool, great Joss Stone that always invites to shake: "Don't know how" from her album "Mind, Body & Soul". Via Solari needs some groovy sound at this late hour!

Yours,
Iris

Back to start

Dear friends,
so finally I am back. Seems like 10 days abroad were already enough to strengthen my feelings for this place. But Milano really did a great welcome with this special early spring light. So, I knew: Yes, I am back home! :-)

I took the CISALPINO from Zurich and enjoyed an extraordinary journey passing several lakes in Switzerland and finally Lugano - with the greatest views of all. And it's just this special "Italian light" in combination with these typical little houses built on the hills ... all I'd need in such a moment is an original Vespa and the according 50s vintage trench coat ... let's do the time walk! ;-)

And also today's record is a sort of vintage and on replay mode for nearly the whole evening because of it's groove and soul: "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy" played by Cannonball Adderly, written by great Joe Zawinul, recorded 1966 in a live session at "The Club" in Los Angeles. Such a great sound! Listen to the first 60 seconds of the recording: http://www.amazon.com/gp/music/wma-pop-up/B000005GY5001003/102-0384398-1472939

I better go to bed now (it's already 2 am) - work is waiting and there is still this invitation for the Jil Sander show tomorrow morning. Something not to miss for this very Iris fashion victim! :-)

Yours,
Iris


PS: And here we go with a little poem ...

Kept searching, what did you find?
Puzzles, a face, locked in my mind
So what now, surprised, and behind?
Just another version of being kind

Touched soul, just pleasure or creed?
Walked hidden paths, up speed
Layers unlifted, any other need?
Got this version, sure on the lead

Now on the edge, already away?
Starting Miles ago, suddenly I'd say
No challenge, nothing worth to pray?
Just a different colour, another blue day

imp, 19/02/2007

Across the borderline

Dear friends, Gruezi mitanand! ;-)
It's been more than a week now "fuori Italia" and I am so much looking forward to the Cappuccino and Brioche in the morning. It's quite interesting how fast one can acquire a new habit. And so I have to suffer once more before I finally take the train to Milano tomorrow afternoon. Caffè!! :-)

It's been a sunny day here in Zurich! A taste of spring with the sun kissing the lake, creating a wonderful light that illuminated everything. I tried to catch it with a photograph but that was nearly impossible. You can see the digital result within my channel next to some other takes from my "Tour d'Europe". And for all of you still chasing the unknown phantom, yes, the guy with the red glasses is Harry! :-)

Note: There might already be a new show on my channel. Please select "Europe in a week" in order to view the pictures.

Note: Don't forget to install Flash 9 in order to view kyte.

Yours,
Iris

PS: Also on Sundays we need a record of the day. I decided to go for one of my favourite sing-along-very-loud-and-dance-if-nobody-else-sees-you-unless-it's-someone-as-crazy-as-me-songs: "You Got The Love" (New Voyager Mix) performed by Candi Staton.

Sometimes I feel like throwing my hands up in the air
I know I can count on you
Sometimes I feel like saying, "Lord, I just don't care"
But you've got the love I need to see me through

Sometimes I see that the boy is just too rough
And things go wrong no matter what I do
Now it feels like life is just too much
You've got the love I need to see me through

When food is gone
You are my daily meal
When friends are gone I know
My saviour's love is real
Your love is real

You Got The Love

Sometimes I feel like throwing my hands up in the air
I know I can count on you
Sometimes I feel like saying, "Lord, I just don't care"
But you've got the love I need to see me through

Time after time I say, "Oh Lord what's the use?"
Time after time I say, "This just won't do"
But sooner or later in life the things you love you lose
Just like before, I know I call on you

I can't believe my palms, degrading friends of you
I can't believe my fire, oh Lord, what must I do
I can't believe I caught up, master made me new
But you've got the love I need to see me through

Sometimes I feel like throwing my hands up in the air
I know I can count on you
Sometimes I feel like saying, "Lord, I just don't care"
But you've got the love I need to see me through

You've got the love, yov've got the love, you've got the love
You've got the love, you've got the love, you've got the love

Tour d'Europe

Dear friends,
it's been a long and interesting week on several different places. After my private/business days in London we carried on with some meetings in Berlin and currently stay in Zuerich. Next to my heavy luggage (20 kg at least!) I now carry three different currencies with me and still have to work with my adapter when I need power for the laptop. Yes, that's Europe! :-)

Of course, we went out in Zuerich to some extraordinary places I would rather expect in Berlin or Vienna's 7th district. So, whenever you come here check out Landstrasse for a bar tour (esp. Hotel Rothaus with great 'Imbiss' food and the Casablanca) - the street is actually known because of something else. Find out by yourself! ;-)

So, this city turned out to be quite different from what I have heard or seen in the past. But isn't this the case with a lot of things in our lives? If you look at them from a different point of view or after some time they may appear in another light ...

And here we go with today's song coming from Radiohead:

"High and Dry"
Two jumps in a week
I bet you think that's pretty clever don't you boy?
Flying on your motorcycle
Watching all the ground beneath you drop
You'd kill yourself for recognition
Kill yourself to never ever stop
You broke another mirror
You're turning into something you are not

Don't leave me high, don't leave me dry
Don't leave me high, don't leave me dry

Drying up in conversation,
You will be the one who cannot talk
All your insides fall to pieces
You just sit there wishing you could still make love
They're the ones who'll hate you
When you think you've got the world all sussed out
They're the ones who'll spit at you
You will be the one screaming out

Don't leave me high, don't leave me dry
Don't leave me high, don't leave me dry

It's the best thing that you ever had
The best thing that you ever, ever had
It's the best thing that you ever had
The best thing you ever had has gone away


Good night from Zuerich!

Yours,
Iris

PS: And here is something for the smart girls (and only the bravest boys!): http://www.glumbert.com/media/women

London in the rain

Dear friends,
it's late in the evening here in rainy London and I am sitting in the hotel lobby with my laptop and iPod. My small, tired eyes look up from time to time watching the few guests passing by at this late hour. There is the couple walking with 10 meters distance (never want to end like that!), one strange man looking at me, two middle age woman coming home from a musical visit, some guys getting a beer at the bar and two young lovers spending their first weekend together. Why I know? Wouldn't you see?

The weekend here in London was absolutely great! Completed with that certain amount of rain and the ease of my credit card. Another Topshop summer dress (you never know if you have enough), some more CDs, traditional Earl Grey and Short Bread. I will knowingly forget about the vintage stors in Covent Garden now. ;-) And what else? Several visits at "Nero" - of course not for coffee but for their fantastic Dark & White Chocolate Muffin I am absolutely mad about. Well, and because hips don't lie I went for a salad at "Fire & Stone" tonight. ;-)

It's nearly 1 am (CET) and I am too tired now to write down the poem I actually wanted to write. But let me close with today's record I am currently listening to on my iPod: It's "Mary" from Scissor Sisters. Jaja, Iris is melancholic tonight, must be London in the rain ...

Yours,
Iris

Dark chocolate & short hair

Dear friends,
again, it's night here in Milan. Time for dark chocolate and my blog. It seems like there is no way out: I am a self-confessed dark chocolate addict and promised to inform you about this new and challenging chapter of my "life book".

So, what do you do if your life changes? Exactly! You go and see your hair stylist to make sure your hair fits your current mood. And since I decided to be the "short hair girl" some time ago at least I had to change the colour. Hm, maybe it was slightly different ... perhaps I couldn't understand what this cute Italian guy said and answered "Sì, sì ... facciamo così!" just to say something or he confused me so I didn't recognize what the hell he was mixing.

However, it is paradise to have short hair down here! It's like they've always been waiting for you to come in and say "I want it short, very short!" And as soon as I said this, Stefano came with enlightened eyes and a photograph ... Wow, an iroquois! Well, my life is changing but that would be certainly too much for now. So we agreed on my beloved pixie! But enough for now, I am writing longer than my hair actually is right now! ;-)

And also today's song fits perfectly into my current mood: "Dreams" from The Cranberries, already 15 years old but still the best when it comes to such exciting times. So, make sure you put this record into your CD player while reading these lines (singing along is strictly permitted!):

Oh my life is changing everyday
Every possible way
Though my dreams, it’s never quite as it seems
Never quite as it seems

I know I felt like this before
But now I’m feeling it even more
Because it came from you

Then I open up and see
The person fumbling here is me
A different way to be

I want more, impossible to ignore
Impossible to ignore
They’ll come true, impossible not to do
Impossible not to do

Now I tell you openly
You have my heart so don’t hurt me
For what I couldn’t find

Talk to me amazing mind
So understanding and so kind
You’re everything to me

Oh my life is changing everyday
Every possible way
Though my dreams, it’s never quite as it seems
’cause you’re a dream to me
Dream to me


Dream on & take care,
Iris (with Very! short hair)

A very good time

Dear friends,
it was time to reorganise myself ... and what did I find? So many great pictures and that's why today's posting is dedicated to some of these special moments last year - introducing kyte with which I made this show. Stay tuned to find out more about it soon. I am sure you will like it too!

So, some of you might remember a Very! small birthday party in my tiny apartment (best ever! - and I love this 'Beverly Hills 90210' style of our group photo - we could do the remake and call it 'Vienna 1060'), the countless farewell evenings (most of them at Deli's) and great journeys to Paris and Rome. This is just to remind you and make sure you come and visit me down here (not only for shopping!!) ... :-)

Note: You have to select the show "My favourite moments in 2006" within the channel!

Yours,
Iris

PS: And not to forget the record of the day: "Dragon Days" by Alicia Keys to find on "The Diary of Alicia Keys". Read the lyrics at: http://www.lyricsfreak.com/a/alicia+keys/dragon+days_10006268.html

A Very Iris! start

Dear all,
finally, I managed to get it online - the blog I promised to write and that is actually what I really want to do! ;-) ... so folks, much things are going on these days in my life. Another normal phase of Iris being a powerpittl - again! (The definition of normal in combination with me is not purpose if this.) And that's why this blog is called "Very Iris!" ... and all of my dear friends know what this means. :-)

And of course, everybody is blogging today, producing tons of content keeping people away from working. I am not that arrogant to believe that my blog will be your every day drug in the future - I don't even know if I will manage to be a constant writer. ;-) But as we know, it's all a matter of inspiration ...

So, I hope you enjoy and have fun with my news from Milan and my new life.

Yours,
Iris


PS: And as music is a big part of my life (and I am sure my 'Jungs' still remember me playing loud music in the office) this blog will contain at least a "song of the day". Hence, let me close this first post with the Lyrics of one of my favourite songs (long before Ronan Keating did the cover version) - accidentally, it's called 'Iris':

And I'd give up forever to touch you
Cause I know that you feel me somehow
You're the closest to heaven that I'll ever be
And I don't want to go home right now

And all I can taste is this moment
And all I can breathe is your life
Cause sooner or later it's over
I just don't want to miss you tonight

And I don't want the world to see me
Cause I don't think that they'd understand
When everything's made to be broken
I just want you to know who I am

And you can't fight the tears that ain't coming
Or the moment of truth in your lies
When everything seems like the movies
Yeah you bleed just to know you're alive

And I don't want the world to see me
Cause I don't think that they'd understand
When everything's made to be broken
I just want you to know who I am

I don't want the world to see me
Cause I don't think that they'd understand
When everything's made to be broken
I just want you to know who I am

And I don't want the world to see me
Cause I don't think that they'd understand
When everything's made to be broken
I just want you to know who I am

I just want you to know who I am