when i was a little boy, perhaps around the age of 8 or 9, while in the bathtub, i'd often find myself sitting there... staring. contemplating. about what, i'm not sure. different things. occasionally i would release a warm intestinal gas from my lower abdomen, exiting my anal region. i would often marvel at the wonderous nature and motion of the gaseous bubble as it made its aqueous journey from the lower extremeties of the bathtub up to the waterline -- like a whale levitating to the surface to release air from its blowhole. the bubble would then inevitably pop, and soon thereafter, a stench would fill the air.