The Volcano Experiment

You know about the volcano experiment that all 4th graders do (when you're about nine years old). Baking soda and vinegar. We did it in class. The thing explodes.

File that datum in the bullpen somewhere.

The next datum to file: My teacher in 5th grade (that's a year later) telling the class that she sips baking soda water whenever she has an upset tummy. You just mix a little baking soda in a glass of water, and down the hatch it goes -- instant relief.

Datum filed somewhere else in my mental bullpen.

Several years go by. JoJo used to like to sip vinegar. (I wouldn't touch it with a 10-foot pole now, but that's beside the point.) JoJo got an upset stomach. JoJo remembered the 5th grade teacher's handy recommendation to drink some baking soda water. JoJo mixes up some baking soda water and drinks it down.

BOOM !!! A ball of volcanic gas about the size of a grapefruit happened inside my stomach (I'm surprised it didn't rupture), which then immediately blew out as a gigantic burp.


It was at this point that I remembered the volcano experiment....