#plushenchrist

Yana twitted this picture after arriving at his Tel Aviv clinic, because there are now--among various previous attacks--accusations in the Russian media (and Israeli) that Evgeni Plushenko wasn't really having an operation at all, and that he and Mishin were somehow inventing it all to "cover up a poor performance at the European Championships". These are the bolts affixing the artificial intervertebral disc to Evgeni's spine. They will be there for the rest of his life. Yana pointed to the hospital's name on the upper right corner. Ramat Aviv Medical Center. 

I was hesitating back-and-forth quite a bit about whether to post this pic, because it was certainly difficult for me to look at. Perhaps graphic, even. But then I started thinking of all the programs he skated in his career, all those videos I keep going back to, all that he has revealed to me. It occurred to me that he has given so much that is beautiful and luminous, and at times inhumanly sublime, on ice, that as a fan, I, speaking only for myself, will not avert my eyes from a few pictures of what is painfully and terribly human and not-so-beautiful. This is the price he (not us) paid for all that beauty.

In the brief Russian TV news segment about Evgeni's operation, the doctor said:

I think with what spine I saw it's difficult to live, not to skate only. I think he is a person of a real will if he could skate with such pain.

I don't know what to add to that in comment. 

He will probably be in the hospital for about two weeks. Right now I intend only to think about these two weeks, and no farther. 

...The tiny Dortmund event almost gained a second Olympic champion, Russia's Evgeni Plushenko, who considered entering to help prepare for the Russian championships, to be held late this month. Those hopes ended last week when Plushenko's coach, Alexei Mishin, told the Russian agency R-Sport that his skater was not yet fit enough. Favorites in the men's event are now Czech Michal Brezina, Peter Liebers of Germany and two Russians, Artur Gachinski and Konstantin Menshov.

Once again, I really don't know what caption to put here...Jaw, meet floor, I guess.

(And I guess I'm feeling sentimental today...)

We Chinese have a saying from ancient times: "At thirty, a man stands on his own." In one sense, this saying does not fit you, because you have already been standing on your own--standing so tall and so strong ever since you were half this age. You have already been through so much, done so much, brought so much happiness to so many. 

Happy Birthday Evgeni! C: