Back again:
And spending a week in the mountains made me think about how I could do it permanently. So I enjoyed this story in the S.F. Chronicle, linked from Romenesko yesterday, about a former reporter who lives on desert land he bought at auction for little money a few years back. He built a 'hogan' to live in and is living the 'good life' on his Rancho Costa Nada. (That is, 'good' if you don't mind hauling in water from a public park miles away.)

The book he wrote about the rancho is available at Loompanics.com; the list of books sold through this online catalog is worth perusing on its own. (Categories include 'Revenge' and 'Head for the Hills', among others. The main page states "Certain of the books and papers in this catalog deal with activities and devices which would be in violation of various Federal, State and local laws if actually carried out or constructed. ") Rancho Costa Nada listing.

I know we've all thought about telling the editor to go stuff it, but this seems a little extreme. Nevertheless, you've gotta admire someone who gets fired because "The mere happenstance of holding the rank of 'employee' made me feel servile in the presence of a perfectly pedestrian, usually well-meaning dimwit who happened to be the boss..."

Sheila has more links on this story.