Category Archives: Psychology and perception

Being There revisited, with a little help from Mahler

Posted on January 16, 2022 by barczablog

I could use any old film I watched on television for the point I’m about to make. Last night Erika and I watched Being There (1979). Hal Ashby’s film is based on a best-selling novel from 1970 by Jerzy Kosiński … Continue reading →

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Untangled by Lisa Damour

Posted on June 9, 2021 by barczablog

One of the pleasures or perils of reading multiple books at the same time is how suddenly one captures your attention, shutting everything & everyone out in the process. It can be fun to disappear down a rabbit hole with … Continue reading →

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Melisande and Sam

Posted on May 28, 2021 by barczablog

The picture is a bit of whimsy, Sam seeming to float with the flower. If you don’t have your glasses on (hello! That was how I took the photo), the alignment of dog + flower is much easier to do, … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, domestic & wild, Art, Architecture & Design, Books & Literature, Dance, theatre & musicals, Opera, Psychology and perception | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

What Mom taught me

Posted on May 28, 2021 by barczablog

I’m very lucky that my mother is still alive, an amazing example. My dad passed away when I was very young, so my family is matriarchal, lucky for us. I only have 3 or 4 solid memories of my father. … Continue reading →

Posted in Cinema, video & DVDs, Music and musicology, My mother, Popular music & culture, Psychology and perception | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Mandala: The Beauty of Impermanence

Posted on January 25, 2021 by barczablog

I heard from Larry Beckwith, who is Artistic Producer of Confluence Concerts, that they’re offering something titled Mandala: The Beauty of Impermanence: “Premiering OnlineWednesday,January 27, 20216:30 pm Pre-Concert Chat:Make a Mandala6:50 pm ConcertAvailable untilWednesday,February 10, 2021 onConfluence Concerts’YouTube ChannelCLICK HERE” … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Architecture & Design, Personal ruminations & essays, Press Releases and Announcements, Psychology and perception, Spirituality & Religion | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Beethoven 250: his double life

Posted on November 4, 2020 by barczablog

Composer Ludwig van Beethoven was born in 1770, almost 250 years ago. The Heiligenstadt Testament was addressed to the composer’s two brothers, Carl & Johann, as a last will and testament. Written in October 1802 as the composer approached his … Continue reading →

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Saturday morning dream

Posted on October 17, 2020 by barczablog

I had a dream this morning. It started out as a nightmare, that classic things going wrong dream, where you have a show to give or a piece to perform and don’t remember your lines. I was to give a … Continue reading →

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Mary Trump’s Too Much and Never Enough

Posted on July 29, 2020 by barczablog

I read Mary Trump’s book yesterday. I couldn’t put it down, and no that’s not just a figure of speech. I confess it did take me past midnight, reading 200+ pages, skipping nothing, re-reading a few key passages. We bought … Continue reading →

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An agnostic musing about leadership & talent

Posted on July 22, 2020 by barczablog

As I was tidying my office today, I fell into a book. You know how it is. You open it and are seduced or abducted, suddenly lost to yourself, deep in the book. While Jim Fisher’s The Thoughtful Leader: A … Continue reading →

Posted in Books & Literature, Music and musicology, Opera, Personal ruminations & essays, Psychology and perception, University life | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Disturbance in the Force: a Natural Experiment with Audiences

Posted on June 13, 2020 by barczablog

With all the performers, musicians, artists social distancing at home, you might think that this is an opportunity, that they’d be busy singing, strumming, painting…. All that time to create, right? Yet it’s not what I hear on social media. … Continue reading →

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