A Good Year for the Roses
February 10, 2007 6:04 PM   Subscribe

Your husband left you? It could be worse. Divorcing couple builds a wall through the family home neither will leave. Apparently breaking up, but not moving out, is not uncommon, it is even recommended. Even among us.
posted by Methylviolet (20 comments total)
 
After reading the story, it seems to me that husband and wife are equally self-centered, obnoxious and insufferable.
posted by clevershark at 6:16 PM on February 10, 2007


It's like some kind of twisted, surrealist found object-metaphor for my black heart.
posted by loquacious at 6:21 PM on February 10, 2007


I envision the building of a long wall that cuts directly through lots of houses, say, 50 or 60, in a continuous line. Obviously a job for Christo.

BTW, Christo, if you do this, I want credit for the idea. You listening, Christo?
posted by flapjax at midnite at 6:27 PM on February 10, 2007


I liked Danny DeVito in this movie.
posted by psmealey at 6:29 PM on February 10, 2007


THREE of the couple's children, ages 18, 19 and 20, stayed in Chana's half of the home. Chana is demanding child support for them. Their 16-year-old son moved into Simon's two-bedroom apartment down the block.

So, while these idiots fight over a house, their youngest child is living on his own down the block? Ugh. Disgusting.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 6:43 PM on February 10, 2007 [1 favorite]


This would've been an awesome ask.metafilter thread.
posted by nev at 6:45 PM on February 10, 2007 [1 favorite]


Yes, those people sound like idiots. Much more sensible is author Robert B. Parker, who always seems to be dedicating yet another Spenser novel to his wife Joan, yet they couldn't stand to live together either. According to the Wiki they married in 1956, separated in 1982, then for the last 20+ years have been living on separate floors of the same house.

From a 2004 interview here:
Bloomberg: You and your wife live in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on two different floors of the same house.

Parker: I live on the first floor; she lives on the second floor. The third floor is apartment space for when one or the other of my children comes home.

Bloomberg: How does that work?

Parker: We went through a lot of effort to make it work. We separated in 1982 for two years, and wrestled with the thing like a squirrel with a coconut for that time. When we got together again, we decided that our best bet was not to try and live right up against each other all the time.

So, for a while, she lived in one town and I in another, and then, in one apartment and I in another, and then we bought this house. It's her house, and I live in a couple of small rooms in it. My office and my bedroom are mine. The rest of the house, which is about 15 rooms, is hers.

Bloomberg: What do you do for leisure outside those two rooms?

Parker: Leisure? Surely you jest. Well, I like to be with Joan. I work out nearly every day. I do a lot of Pilates, and I think I might try yoga. We dine out together. I like to watch ball games. She doesn't. That's one of the reasons she lives upstairs.

posted by LeLiLo at 7:09 PM on February 10, 2007


THREE of the couple's children, ages 18, 19 and 20, stayed in Chana's half of the home. Chana is demanding child support for them.

How can someone demand child support for an adult?
posted by amyms at 7:21 PM on February 10, 2007


Anybody else notice the article's repeated weird, heavy-handed references to the fact that the husband is jewish?
posted by FortyT-wo at 7:23 PM on February 10, 2007


"After reading the story, it seems to me that husband and wife are equally self-centered, obnoxious and insufferable."

I wonder what their MeFi handles are?
posted by MapGuy at 7:28 PM on February 10, 2007 [3 favorites]


which he could only access by walking up his neighbor's stairs outside, climbing over a railing on his balcony and entering through a window

Seems reasonable. He's a man, after all, and these are divorce proceedings.

/sarcasm
posted by dhammond at 7:34 PM on February 10, 2007


Wilma: The fence comes down because the WIFE of that sawed-off runt happens to be my best friend!
posted by evilcolonel at 7:51 PM on February 10, 2007


I'd rather just netflix it with some popcorn.
Yet another scenario to remind me why being single doesn't suck.
posted by miss lynnster at 7:53 PM on February 10, 2007


ok ... they're broke ... they're living in a house with a wall through it ... they're spiteful, hateful and paranoid ... they're flaky ... and they're BROKE

this would be a GREAT opportunity for a reality tv show, don't you think?
posted by pyramid termite at 8:00 PM on February 10, 2007 [1 favorite]


After reading the story, it seems to me that husband and wife are equally self-centered, obnoxious and insufferable.
posted by clevershark at 8:16 PM CST on February 10


Seconded. They both deserve as much misery as either is able to visit upon the other.
posted by Ynoxas at 8:54 PM on February 10, 2007


I'm less horrified that they're doing this than that they spoke to the press about it. What wretched people.
posted by Epenthesis at 9:14 PM on February 10, 2007


they deserve each other... I love his statement 'I just want to live in peace'!!! Does he even know what that means? Obviously it is these kinds of people that are running the world at present not willing to give an inch without making someone PAY
posted by gnomesb at 9:44 PM on February 10, 2007


Yes, I'm with you Epenthesis -- I am constantly amazed at what people are willing to go on record with to a national audience. It seems like your own vanity would prevent you from ripping too hard on your ex, however richly they deserve it, because it makes you look like a dick.
posted by Methylviolet at 11:35 PM on February 10, 2007


I'll just say this on the subject. If the best person you know got a divorce, and the press got involved, they probably wouldn't look very good.
posted by BrotherCaine at 4:17 AM on February 11, 2007


Perhaps it was filtered threw the whole "Jewishness" thing, but when I read that Simon was the one who suggested "cutting the house in half", I wondered if he was inspired by the Solomon story of cutting the baby of two harlots in half, to see who would let it get cut in half, and who would give it up, in order to have the baby be safe.

Though I wonder how that would really play out, since they're both being stubborn asses. It just doesn't make sense. Stupid thought, I guess.

What miserable wretches.

I wouldn't call flipping real estate being "broke" however. But it would make some DAMN fine TV.
posted by symbioid at 2:01 PM on February 11, 2007


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