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Evan Bailyn on
Thursday, January 19th, 2012 with
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It is a small fantasy of mine to become invisible. My desire to be unnoticed usually presents itself when the pressures of life bear down on me so much that I instinctually retreat into my subconscious. When I feel the need to withdraw from reality, some aspect of the environment I am in becomes my secret hideaway. If I am in the bathroom washing up, it is down in the shadows between the bottles of moisturizer, shaving cream, and hair ...
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Posted by
Evan Bailyn on
Thursday, January 19th, 2012 with
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One night as I was lying in bed, I saw the place at the end of the earth. It was a hill, blanketed in virgin snow, at twilight. At the edge of my vision, the branches of a pine tree hung calmly, lending their aroma to the cool, comfortable air. On top of the hill was a log cabin with a chimney from which wisps of smoke drifted out into the purple-grey sky.
Beyond the hill was a slope that tapered ...
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Posted by
Evan Bailyn on
Thursday, January 19th, 2012 with
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We all navigate our lives with our senses, stopping only rarely to appreciate how unique and interesting each one is. What is smell, after all? The ability to detect tiny particles that float out from matter and experience them in various chemical categories, such as sweet, fruity, and bitter? And touch? The ability to register the microscopic contours of matter and interpret them as a neurological feeling? When we break down what our senses really are, it becomes possible to ...
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Posted by
Evan Bailyn on
Wednesday, January 18th, 2012 with
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The feeling of being tucked away in a tiny, remote niche is one of ultimate security. Apart from the coziness factor, knowing that you are in a place where you can’t be found has a certain excitement to it. When I build a house one day, I’d like to have a secret door in one of the walls that leads to my own private lair - a place with the coolness of a treehouse and the secrecy of an underground ...
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Posted by
Evan Bailyn on
Wednesday, January 18th, 2012 with
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“What would you do if you had three wishes?” is an age-old question that dates back to Arabian tales involving genies and magic lamps. The legend allows the master of the lamp any three requests except more wishes. In college, during boring lectures, I used to ponder what I would wish for.
Coming up with a realistic answer is very difficult because one always wants to maximize the benefit of one’s three wishes. Considering which wishes might be encompassed in other ...
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Posted by
Evan Bailyn on
Wednesday, January 18th, 2012 with
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There is a peaceful solitude to submerging in a pool and hanging around at the bottom for a while. Water diffuses sound, so whatever noise is occuring above the surface becomes calmed and muted below. The sensation of floating and the rapid micro-bubbles that flit around your body add to the zen-like experience.
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Posted by
Evan Bailyn on
Wednesday, January 18th, 2012 with
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A philosopher once wrote “If a pauper were to dream he was a king for half his life, and a king were to dream he was a pauper for half his life, then there would be no difference between the two.”
Dreaming possesses the sometimes-scary, sometimes-amazing property of being extremely realistic. Dreams can be even more vivid than waking life, for in the unconscious state, all of one’s vulnerabilities, fears, and fantasies are laid bare. Often, the mind must spin elaborate ...
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Posted by
Evan Bailyn on
Wednesday, January 18th, 2012 with
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There is a micro-world to every object, which we seldom notice in the course of our efficient lives. If you look closely at the immediate surroundings of a blade of grass in a field, for instance, you will find a lot more than just other grass: a tiny white mineral deposit, a yellow thread that has peeled off a nearby aging stalk, an industrious ant scaling a three-leaf clover. It is kind of interesting to think that this blade of ...
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Posted by
Evan Bailyn on
Wednesday, January 18th, 2012 with
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Looking way, way up is enjoyable in much the same way as looking far, far away. It allows you to view things that are larger than yourself in a more conceptual and complete way. Looking up is better than looking far, however, because it requires you to tilt your head back (which is sort of relaxing) and focus your eyes in a direction they typically don’t look. Very high objects also tend to have a majestic, unreachable quality to them ...
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Posted by
Evan Bailyn on
Wednesday, January 18th, 2012 with
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Every night as I am lying in bed about to fall asleep, I find myself rubbing my feet together underneath the blankets. The warmth it generates, along with the comfortable sensation of grazing the sensitive bottoms of my feet, creates a lull that sends me off to slumber.
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Posted by
Evan Bailyn on
Wednesday, January 18th, 2012 with
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You know how songs sound better on the radio than they do on CDs? There’s just something special about the fact that the song is being played right at that moment, that it can’t be rewound or repeated. Well, it’s the same with buying Fritos from a vending machine. In contrast to supermarket-sized bags, which are large enough to satisfy whatever urge for Fritos you may have, vending machine bags are small and half filled with air, so you have ...
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Posted by
Evan Bailyn on
Wednesday, January 18th, 2012 with
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As long as it’s not induced by a cold or allergies, sneezing is a forgotten pleasure. If I could sneeze more often, I would. Not only does it relieve that pestery nasal tickle, it gives you a light head buzz and leaves you feeling oddly unburdened.
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Posted by
Evan Bailyn on
Wednesday, January 18th, 2012 with
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Any five year-old girl can attest to the fact that sparkly things are more fun than dull, monochromatic things. Take a stroll through any toy store and witness the popularity of shimmery playthings.
The appeal of glittery objects is rudimentary, almost instinctual. The eye naturally takes notice of bright, rapidly-changing stimuli. Perhaps it relates back to the evolutionary importance of the sun for growing and cultivating purposes. Whatever the reason, I find myself transfixed by sparkling objects all the time.
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