Moments after ending an on-the-toilet phone conversation with a female friend, Bruce Halpern realized Monday that his candor regarding his whereabouts may have been ill-advised. 'That was dumb,' Halpern said to himself following the call. 'I've told lots of guy friends that I was taking a dump while talking to them, but Julie seemed pretty grossed out.' Halpern made a mental note to explain the echo effect in future phone calls by saying he is in the garage. 