A year ago I started collaborating with my friend Lawrence to develop custom software that hooked up technical experts with people in need. We launched WPQuestions first, and later, PHP Emergency, Symfony Experts, Javascript Questions and MYSQL Emergency which are aggregated at our umbrella site CodeWise.

Late last summer, I blogged about 3 critters my girlfriend and I had found nearly drowning in a pool filter. Since then, the story has gotten some exposure.

At the swimming pool, Wistar and I sometimes poke around in the filters to see what animal carnage might be swirling around. Usually it’s frogs, Japanese beetles, dragonflies, grasshoppers or some combination. This is especially true during summer storms, like this week’s heavy rainfall which surely killed hundreds of animals unlucky enough to be trapped in small spaces.

After thinking about it for awhile, I’ve committed to renting out my house for two months this summer so I can live abroad and work remotely. The plan is to find a room in some beach town, work on what is hopefully a reliable and fast connection, and otherwise travel, surf, read, write, drink in bars, and clear my head for awhile…