Mirror, Mirror...

I was already thinking about mirrors this past week when the New York Times published an interesting piece about scientists using mirrors to research the mind. Among other things, the story says we do see ourselves in a more favorable light than reality when we look at our own image. I was thinking about mirrors because I had a new one installed in my guest bath. The old mirror had lost some of the backing that causes mirrors to reflect light...a coating of silver or some other metal.

When I was a kid we used to play a game in which we would challenge someone to go into a dark bathroom holding a candle, telling them they would see a ghostly figure appear behind them if they said "Mary Worth" three or four times. Why Mary Worth? I have no clue, but it usually worked, thanks to our fertile imaginations. Are there any horror movies without a mirror scene? You know, the character opens the door on a mirrored medicine cabinet, and when he closes the door there's someone or something lurking behind him in the mirror, only to disappear when he turns around. And the mirrors in fun-houses at the fair have provided lots of movie scenarios too.