Category Archives: Psychology and perception

Harnass The Worm

Posted on June 28, 2013 by barczablog

I remember taking Psych 100 long ago as an undergrad.  Many of our lessons required us to read articles from publications such as Scientific  American.   I recall one such article concerning eidetic memory, a phenomenon popularly known as “photographic memory”.  … Continue reading →

Posted in Personal ruminations & essays, Psychology and perception | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

A reception experiment: Lucia last night

Posted on May 10, 2013 by barczablog

I remember from Psych 100 that one of the ways scientists learned about the brain was from what they called natural experiments.  In the war, sometimes a man would suffer a catastrophic wound to part of his head, allowing scientists … Continue reading →

Posted in Essays, Psychology and perception, Reviews | 2 Comments

Fabulous February (?)

Posted on March 1, 2013 by barczablog

Hm, the headline may strike some of you as an oxymoron. CAN a February be fabulous? Yet mine was, without a doubt. This was my best February ever.  I want to share the wealth as we slip into March, knowing … Continue reading →

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Ophelia revived

Posted on February 17, 2013 by barczablog

I’m a father with grown children.  I encountered Mary Pipher’s book Reviving Ophelia in the 1990s.  The title might give you an idea of what sort of book it is, and why I would have read it. Ophelia?  Collateral damage … Continue reading →

Posted in Books & Literature, Psychology and perception, Reviews | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Psychological portraits: Tito’s Rome

Posted on February 7, 2013 by barczablog

La Clemenza di Tito is not known the way the major operas of Mozart’s maturity are known and loved.  When I say Don Giovanni or Marriage of Figaro or Magic Flute there are tunes that instantly pop into my head … Continue reading →

Posted in Essays, Opera, Politics, Psychology and perception | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

$5.99 or $4000.00?

Posted on December 9, 2012 by barczablog

Psycho-therapists in films can be very funny, very painful, and yes, painfully funny.   Sometimes what we’re given is patently false & artificial, but occasionally we see something with more than a grain of truth. Hollywood knows psychiatry the way it … Continue reading →

Posted in Cinema, video & DVDs, Psychology and perception, Reviews | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Meeting Titurel

Posted on April 21, 2012 by barczablog

I wrote this as a Facebook “note” in August 2009, a kind of diary entry seen only by friends.  It came to mind today in an online conversation, and so I decided to revisit these thoughts. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ I am not … Continue reading →

Posted in Food, Health and Nutrition, Opera, Personal ruminations & essays, Psychology and perception, Spirituality & Religion | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Madman in My Family

Posted on March 24, 2012 by barczablog

No this isn’t an exposé (in case anyone in my family saw the title).  Nor is it a confessional, although I am talking about myself.  I might be a bit whimsical in my use of the word “Madman,” still in … Continue reading →

Posted in Personal ruminations & essays, Psychology and perception, Sports | 3 Comments

Melancholia

Posted on March 20, 2012 by barczablog

I am watching Melancholia for the second time.  Had I been able to get tickets when it came to the Toronto International Film Festival I would have seen it on a big screen.  Even on a small screen it’s quite … Continue reading →

Posted in Cinema, video & DVDs, Psychology and perception, Reviews | 1 Comment

Feasting and saying thanks

Posted on November 26, 2010 by barczablog

In the book Authentic Happiness by Martin Seligman, we read about the psychological benefits of saying thank you.  He calls them “gratefuls”, a good daily ritual that can help make you healthier. And so, as a kind of prayer, I … Continue reading →

Posted in Essays, Psychology and perception, Spirituality & Religion | 4 Comments