Saul Goodman
GET OFF THE GRID!
^{SAUL GOODMAN’S GUIDE TO STAYING OFF THE RADAR
as told to Steve Huff}

Introduction

Burn After Reading!

Hey, good to see you again! Saul Goodman, here—your captain of the Good Ship Reasonable Doubt, very happy to welcome you aboard for voyage numero dos! Perhaps you once knew me as Jimmy McGill (or maybe even “Slippin’ Jimmy” if you met me before the spirit of the law swept me under her noble wing). Call me what you will, as long as it’s not late for happy hour.

For the purposes of our chat today: names don’t really matter—Saul, Jimmy, Flippity, Flappity. These days, there’s a totally different name on my state-approved identification. That same jejune moniker adorns the rental agreement to my humble fifty-shades-of-beige, extended-value apartment—not to mention a number of other very important documents of record, including a birth certificate with conceivably accurate information. And while I mentally and spiritually remain a New Mexican bar-certified legal eagle… we’re not quite there anymore, Toto.

Once upon the not-too-distant past, I got into a bit of a jam that led to a bit of a rabbit hole and long journey short, here we are—ready to rumble in the jungle of smoke screens and pseudonyms. For the purposes of discussion, however, it’s just fine if for the duration of our conversation you still think of me as your old friend-at-law Saul.

Last we met, I detailed a variety of crazy wrinkles in the law that might bring clients to my office for a close encounter with moi; I then shared how I would give them my all and send them back into those refreshing (and scorching) Albuquerque rays of freedom. What you are reading now is a very different sort of legal guide, one that law enforcement officers might even consider extralegal. This is a unique map to aid those of you in need of getting the hell out of Dodge. Or Cicero. Or pretty much anywhere, if your fate du jour isn’t treating you right and you need to make a drastic change, tout suite.

In this hyperconnected age, with everyone’s pay stubs and grocery lists and double rainbow photos flying around the cyber world at the speed of a click, there’s one thing that simply feels impossible to do: disappear. Sure, there are wild-eyed hermits in the Appalachian woods with Unabomber beards and big hearts who will tell you they’ve disconnected from the Matrix. They’ll say they aren’t just off the grid, they’re actually invisible. And H.G. Wells, eat your heart out: they’re probably correct… to some degree. There are men and women who have shed, shredded, and destroyed all connection to the hive mind.

Changing your ’do and floating off on your own like a balloon fleeing an absentminded kid’s fingers toward a lonesome, deflated death in a tree is one way to disappear. Granted, not paying taxes for a while sounds great, but what if you’re jonesing for a fresh start that can’t be satisfied by a top-notch dye job from your local barber or barberess?

This is my guide to getting off the grid, but it’s not just a wistful account of my own vanishing act. I’ll tell you about folks from all walks of life who attempted the same, to varying degrees of success. There are many valid reasons to prefer the less bloody side of “fight or flight,” and there are just as many ways to start flapping those wings to get airborne. I was Jimmy, then I became Saul, and now I’m another guy entirely. I’ve got a new job, a new “look”—and, perhaps most importantly, a new outlook.

I know what it’s like to need to get gone. It was pretty great to be Saul, right up to the point when things were no longer “All good, man.” And I know you’re thinking that a good-looking, intellectual man-about-town like myself probably charmed my way into First Class on that Invisibility Flight, but I had to pay a figurative arm and a leg for my ticket. Probably my left kidney, too. Part of the fee went to the people who helped me remain completely anonymous. They don’t know me; I’ve never heard of them. So I won’t be naming names, here—you’ve only got the legal artist formerly known as Saul to contend with now.

And I’m here to help you figure out if, why, and how you might want to do what I did. Then again, it might not be your cup of tea. I’ll put you through a little boot camp in covering your ass before your assets. I’ll be your travel alarm clock waking you up with an ear-splitting “BEEP” to all those little details of disappearance you never even knew you had to worry about.

This is a guide to living life like a spy in the midst of polite society—except with no covert mission on which to hang your rakish black hat. You’ll learn to put on the (legally) stylish thinking caps of both James Bond and whichever handsome English devil is playing him now. Fact is, it all comes down to that instinctual question asked by spies and soldiers and anyone who’s ever found themselves in a scrape since we were facing down saber-toothed tigers with pointy sticks: do I want to get out of this alive?

Obviously, this is all purely for your entertainment. Of course you shouldn’t attempt to run from the hungry, fear-smelling, trouble-monster that is your life. No way should anyone ever try to dodge creditors, tax collectors, or the police (and, in some cases, temperamental former amours). I’m still a sworn officer of the court on the inside, my friend, and therefore cannot seriously encourage you to do anything that is illegal in any way.

But if you’re going to devise a back-up plan (a purely hypothetical one of course)—do it right. I hope you get inspired and run with it, build a happy little yurt on a remote farm and live your life goat herding safely away from the madding crowd. As long as you haven’t committed any crimes worth prosecuting, it’s perfectly legal for adults in these blessed United States to vanish whenever they wish. There’s no legal gravity holding you down, keeping you punching time cards and voting for whomever’s won the he said, she said city council majority this year.

Make no mistake: rebooting your life is a job in its own right. A life is a gargantuan canvas with a lot of cracks and corners to fill. Flipping one upside down and giving it a new coat of paint with a different name and a location far away from the one it knew requires invention. It takes sacrifice, and you’re going to get tired eyes and sizable calluses along the way.

The time is now! Pull on those work mitts. Maybe layer some surgical-style rubber gloves underneath. Grab a long-sleeved shirt, too, because welding your life into an attractive new shape puts off a lot of invisible UV rays, and you don’t want to be surprised by second-degree burns when you wake up the next morning. Plus, you don’t want to leave too many skin cells behind if you can help it—think about all of that easily sampled DNA.

Okay. I see you’re ready to hop aboard with your protective gear and bindle. Let’s get this New You Show on the road.

^{PART I}
Why Would Anyone Do This?

Whatever it is, it’s hit the fan and the stink’s in circulation. Clock’s struck midnight on your old life and it’s time to go, pumpkin.

You might be a criminal: no judgment from the counselor, here. Maybe you were selling some fresh green ganja, some fine-ass Purple Urkel laced with Alice B. Toklas, and a deal went sour. Or—still in that malefactor vein—it could be that you’re the brawn who tags along to ensure the deal works to your boss’s advantage, and there was a tragic misunderstanding. People got hurt, and you need to run. From everyone.

Or maybe you’re not a criminal! Perhaps you’re falsely accused, or just good people with bad troubles. Fine. As bad luck could have it, there’s a chance you’re a victim. You’ve got a roommate with a head full of steam who doesn’t appreciate when you forget to do the dishes, and you’ve noticed recently that the Gatorade in the fridge has been tasting a little antifreeze-y. Or you just discovered the nest of RGB cables in your bedroom’s air-conditioning vent that feeds from cameras hidden in all crannies of your condo, and you’re not looking to be one man’s private reality show.

Next stop on the ominous train, maybe you’re a lone survivor. You got a look at the devil’s face and know he may come for you before the good guys (cops, in this case) ever even get close.

Any of these situations justly and naturally warrant a fresh start. The moment has come for you to strip off the heavy shell of you-ness and get a new beginning, a new name and a new life. It’s time for a little karmic remodeling.

I will now state the obvious (for posterity): once you get to this point, you’d better know exactly why you bothered.

I, Saul, the man with the plan and the best friend you could have standing next to you before a no-nonsense New Mexico judge, didn’t shoulder the burden of anonymity lightly. Not to give too much of the farm away (I’m going to act as if those acres of attorney-client privileges still apply, even if they don’t), but I had life-preserving reasons for renovating my existence.

So let’s lay down a little list of possible motivations any dear reader might have for following Mr. Low Profile’s winding path to the sensibly khaki-clad life of an average civilian.

Legit Logic

There are plenty of reasons to walk (or sprint) away from an established “you,” and although necessary, some of those reasons are unpleasant.

A disappearance at times begins as an “accident.” You might recall some version of a news story that goes something like this: Miss Jane Doe ventured out for a drive on a winding mountain road on a cold winter’s night. Alas, something—presumably fog and ice—prevented the lovely Miss Doe from arriving at her destination. Worst-case scenarios are often crafted by a sprinkle of pessimism and a dose of common sense. Customary earnest and hurried searches ensue, but Miss Doe has become a ghost of the mountain, at one with the mist in the pines.

Most likely, Miss Doe’s car will be recovered from a river a couple years later, her skeletal remains still sensibly seat-belted in place, phalanges yet clutching that “World’s Greatest Auntie!” travel mug that never quite fit its holder. It’s grim, but more commonplace than it should be. Bad things happen to good people, and there’s not always someone in the forest to hear the sound of the tree falling. But as often as legitimate accidents occur, there are also plenty of “accidents” orchestrated by folks who are desperate to win the ultimate game of hide-and-seek.

No matter the circumstances, let’s assume you need a brand-new bag. You, of your own volition, have chosen to make a change.

Getting off the grid is not for the half-hearted. Even the fully hearted might find this process intimidating. That’s why it’s normally—if such a thing is ever entirely normal—within the purview of feds and spies. If the government decides you’re a pivotal witness in a federal case, you’ll be masterfully transitioned right the hell out of your old life and into an untraceable new one. Intelligence services are the million-point “ASS” top score on the Centipede machine-style champs at this kind of thing.

Here’s an example: a few years ago, a guy called Mahmoud was assassinated in a Dubai hotel. He was involved in some military operations far from the Israeli stamp of approval. Sure enough, the couple dozen suspects in Mahmoud’s death were allegedly Israeli intelligence agents. They’d managed to acquire stolen British, Irish, German, French, and Aussie identification documents. The case remains unsolved because those intel agents (or whoever they were) vanished into the ether with their purloined passports.

There will be times here when it will feel like we’re talking about spycraft; some of the behaviors required by this leaving-the-grid thing are fantastically furtive. Though you won’t be assassinating anyone in Dubai. I hope.

To be crystal clear—and this is my inner counselor talking—this stuff isn’t exactly all that legal, in the end. There may be gray areas, but generally it’s safe to assume that the things we’re discussing would not be recommended by our pals who live to protect and serve.

There’s a big “but!” here. Dodging many of the obligations an intentional disappearance leaves behind may create a sticky wicket or two as far as the law’s concerned, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do it when and where the proverbial rubber meets the road.

Sometimes you’ve got to look out for numero uno. The following is a selection of motivations (appreciated but not necessarily endorsed by the former Saul Goodman) for jumping ship to the desert, the forest, or even the fine shores of the Missouri River:

• Escaping violence. Easily one of the strongest bases to light out for the provinces is the natural desire to get the hell away from some abusive buffoon. It’s unnatural and unadvised to ignore pure survival instinct. While physical vengeance may seem more gratifying and perhaps simpler, it is by far the messier option. If anything here helps get someone out, out, and away from a sadistic prick, a savage clown, a nasty sociopath, a human skid mark, etc., I’ll consider my mission accomplished.

• Letting your wild passion decide. When it comes to reasons for giving everyone who knows you the slip, escaping into the arms of your soul mate—über-bestie, side nugget, whatever the kids say now—is one of the most complicated of the bunch. You know the phrase “Hell hath no fury”? If you’re reading up on ways to hightail it out of a marriage to get with the most desirable new stranger imaginable, just be aware that few are more motivated to find you and make you explain what you did than a jilted lover. It’s not your fault that you’ve got such a magnetic personality! But think of the broken hearts that you’re leaving in your wake as little paper clips: they’re going to go chasing right after your attractive iron heart, and it won’t be easy to repel them. So maybe save yourself the hassle and—instead of disappearing—go about ending things in a more straightforward way if you can? Then grab your new sweetie and move one town over—you probably won’t get burned by any old flames at your new local grocery store.

• Dodging debts. Although I think skipping out on financial obligation is a semi-decent reason to dissolve your current existence, it sets you up for failure. There’s a basic, inalienable desire among creditors of all kinds—the legal and the illegal—to hunt debtors down and make them pay. The law circumscribes a plethora of above-board action that creditors can take these days, but that hasn’t quelled their Old Testament–style rage when the amount owed is massive and the borrower is missing. As we’ll see, personal vanishing acts are costly enough without collectors in pursuit.