Old Cat Lady

It started out as just some posts on the "What music are you listening to right now" thread but we ended up chatting so much about BTS that I asked the moderators to move the posts to a new thread so that we don't hijack that thread. There's only 6 of us that are consistently active. A couple have dropped in to say hi. No idea how many lurk. But since we've been on the Planet together for so long, it's like a group of old friends getting together rather than the toxic sludge that a lot of the bigger, more general forums can be (e.g. compare Planet Hanyu to "the skating forum that shall not be named (because they'll threaten to sue)) and having both Yuzu and BTS in common makes the conversations more fun

there’s no proof, but aren’t there rumors that Plush takes a much smaller cut of skaters’ pay? If Alina was either planning to retire or getting pushed into retirement anyway, maybe the bigger payday was tempting enough. though i imagine that’s balanced out by possibilities of missed opportunities due to Eteri blackballing

If he can consistently stand them up, the "q" rule + fed backing might suddenly make him a favorite instead of a dark horse for that world podium. I'm personally a little concerned that these are the "quads" that he chooses to show off when they are clearly under rotated.

Yikes! I have to think she's lost her "quads" and 3 axel if even the double is this bad. Not surprising considering how fragile her technique was and how much bigger she is. Unfortunately, she really doesn't have anything without the jumps. It's still early season, but so far, looking like Mariah Bell for national champ. Both she and Bradie do everything but the jumps better than Alysa. eta: also, I think this is a Lori Nichol fail. In comparison to Shae, while I think Lori has produced more great programs, Lori is worse about adjusting her choreography to the skater. Lori seems to be completely dependent on the greatness of the skater to produce results whereas Shae might not always provide the highest quality programs, she understands how to adjust to strengths and weaknesses of skaters better. Alysa has no business doing long, gliding power moves so while the choreography itself isn't a problem, giving it to the wrong skater turns it from a highlight moment to a jarring distraction.

A long while back, someone ( @yuzuangel ?) said that she thought Nathan permed his hair. Before she mentioned it, it never even occurred to me. Anyway, I recently came across this photo: https://twitter.com/jasonbskates/status/845047105928486912/photo/1 You were right! He does perm it! Also, just looked up the ISP details - so there is a 2nd stage coming up soon on Oct 6. https://usfigureskatingfanzone.com/sports/2020/9/8/isp-points-challenge-competition-central.aspx Alysa Liu will be skating in that stage. https://usfigureskatingfanzone.com/news/2020/9/28/rinkside-reigning-us-champ-alysa-liu-is-ready-for-season-of-change-with-new-coaching-team-programs.aspx So that explains why I thought the ISP was a series. I don't get why TSL made such a big deal of her not skating the first stage if there's a 2nd stage. Still don't know if Zhou is participating

I'm a bad fan. Not only did I watch TSL but I wasn't interested enough in the US skaters to follow this ISP fiasco until after watching TSL. They made a huge deal out of the fact that Alysa Liu didn't participate, implying that she lost her "quads" and 3 axel. I don't know if she normally does the big jumps for shows but I'm definitely curious to see how she performs at this Carnival on Ice. They also mentioned that Vincent didn't participate. Strange since he trained through quarantine and isn't this a cash grab for the US skaters? But he was in pretty poor condition at this time previous years so I'm not sure if it signifies anything even if he is currently opting out due to condition. For some reason I thought that this ISP had multiple stages like the Russian series but I guess not since I don't get why it would be a big deal for skaters to skip if that were true. Bradie looked pretty bad. TSL made a big deal of it. But I'm not sure if we can glean anything from it - I'm not sure if she's one that had to take a break. Mariah looked good considering she quarantined. The ABBA medley is awful. Even if she performs it better, doesn't change the terrible cuts. But since she rarely bother to interpret music anyway maybe vapid but perky is the way to go for her. I didn't bother to watch Yale. TSL's reaction was essentially just 'meh, he was ok. Would prefer that Jason won'. Deflated what little interest I had of seeing him, even out of curiosity. The rink that Jason skated on looked small to me. The camera and sound combined with the rough early season quality of the programs make it difficult for me to get into any of the programs. TSL was so effusive of Jason but I was somewhat disappointed. Hopefully I'll enjoy it more when the programs are more polished.

i developed an allergy to what i believe is nickel, which is in a lot of inexpensive metals (never been tested, just basing it on rashes after wearing cheap jewelry and watches). i just make sure my jewelry is genuine silver or gold and i’m fine. maybe it’s the same for you? do the rashes only happen when you wear cheap watches?

awwww 😖!!! as if i’m not envious enough

ah. Thank you. That makes sense actually - even if they do skirt around it of course now I'm wondering why St Petersburg hasn't had Worlds and Euros in so long

Such a strange rule for figure skating. When was this rule placed? It would explain why St. Petersburg hasn't had a world championships since 1903 or a Euros since 1970.

I'm both burning with envy and reluctantly relieved that I don't live in China right now. I've developed a nasty Amazon habit that I've decided to break cold turkey - currently conducting a self imposed social experiment where I simulate living off of $12/hr wage. But I would leap off the wagon in a heartbeat if I could buy this watch. eta: they should hire online fanartists thought. The pic in the Swanyu costume looks more like Jun than Yuzu

I agree with you there. The band is the only thing I don't like about the watch. All white gold or black leather would look much nicer with the colors of the watch face or maybe if they made the band more bracelet-like. I don't like yellow gold in general, but I suppose it wouldn't be Yuzu if there wasn't gold. There's so much thought in all the details. I'm sure it'll sell out quickly but a part of me is still a little concerned - it's definitely a particular aesthetic. I really hope that it's a huge success so we can see more of the Yuzu/Citizen collaboration.

So pretty! For some reason I thought it was supposed to be a unisex watch but looks like it's a ladies watch. Other than being gold, it doesn't look like Yuzu's personal off ice style. I wonder how much involvement he had in the design. I really like the crystal swoosh thingy on the side

Unfortunately I have neither talent nor access to Yuzu goodies to offer. But recently I became interested in doing nail art and naturally did a search for Hanyu inspired nail art and this old thread on the Planet came up. If I became good at it and Americans are ever allowed outside the country again, I wanted to try making press on nails for the fan gatherings. If people are interested in this type of thing, maybe it would be a fun give away? Also, at the last Skate Canada, I had t-shirts made with Yuzu's pics. Perhaps someone would want to allow fan art to get printed on one?

realistically we won’t see Yuzu unless he’s either valedictorian or salutatorian. i doubt a part time student would get those types of honors. i have the graduation marked but i don’t plan on tuning in until after the ceremony so we don’t crash the stream. hopefully a helpful Fanyu can time stamp when he gets his name called but i admit there’s a tiny, irrational voice in my head that keeps saying, “oooh, maybe we’ll get to see him making a speech “

If the rumors are true, at the very least, it looks like Plush is following through with his promises. Seems weird that she was the only one without sponsors before and then she gets them when she's injured and her future is more in doubt I'm curious if Yagudin's grudge against Plush will carry over into his commentary.

they claim that they heard it from other skaters. so basically just passing on info from the gossip mill

tsl just claimed that papadakis/cizeron had covid this summer. anyone hear of this outside of TSL? Pretty sure they’re full of sh#t.

What's the Pure as Ice thing?

She makes several of these types of dolls. I also love the "Let's Go Crazy" doll - it features a prominent little butt! eta: if you click on the link to her profile, you can see the other ones. I can't figure out how to link directly to the screen that pops up eta 2: If you go to the group page and click on the link to her profile, a page pops up that shows all the pics that she's posted to the group https://www.facebook.com/groups/1610393525875114/2709581379289651/?comment_id=2709714319276357&reply_comment_id=2710291745885281&notif_id=1598683206432756&notif_t=group_comment_mention

I agree that the Nishikawa promotion is distasteful. But I admit that I'm a sucker even when I know I'm being suckered. I'm glad someone else doesn't like those Peyton paintings. The Chopin one is ok but I think the practice one that is so prominently displayed is ugly and I can't get past the fact that it looks so little like him. I guess I do like that it introduces Yuzu to people who might not normally know who he is so I'm slightly less annoyed if there's at least some benefit to Yuzu (unlike with those #$@! Disney crooks!)

Depending on the cost, I would probably buy the pillow a couple times to try to get the Yuzu merch. I would only buy the mattress if I needed a new mattress and I liked theirs - but I would at least check it out when I normally wouldn't have. Crazy Fanyu confession: when I heard that Yuzu *might* be the spokesperson for Panasonic, I researched the best Panasonic TV's. This is a Samsung household but I wanted to be able to say - "I bought a Panasonic TV because Yuzu endorses it" btw, do you think it is unethical to buy fanart? There's someone on Facebook that makes these adorable Yuzu dolls and I want to offer to buy some but I think it's illegal since it uses his image and obviously I would offer enough to compensate for the time she put into making it, which means she'd be making a profit. However, this isn't taking any income away from Yuzu himself. But I guess there's a danger of encouraging selling his image... okay, I suppose I kind of know that this might be shady but I really, really want one ... on the other hand, is it any different than Elizabeth Peyton making money off of her Yuzu paintings?

i admit to being an ugly American. If there weren’t travel restrictions, i absolutely would follow Yuzu to competition if I had a shot at getting a ticket. I follow all the restrictions and get annoyed at all the selfish people whining about masks, but i was planning on going to Montreal worlds, Autumn Classic, Skate Canada, and Stockholm worlds. when i realized the fall events were likely going to be cancelled, I looked up how much tickets to Australia would cost. Literally the only thing that was stopping me is because I can’t. And now, because Yuzu won’t be there. i’m just a middle class income; but i live below my means and budget for these luxuries. i’m not particularly clever; there are a lot of Fanyus in similar situation as me not to mention those who actually are high income. Then there are all the media and staff that show up for Yuzu. At Skate Canada last year, the flight attendant said it was the busiest day in the airport’s history. My cab driver said that every hotel was booked and Skate Canada saved a lot of Kelowna businesses’ year. These CSG’s of the world just love twisting things around to try to rationalize their hate. It’s obvious that Yuzu taking part in competition increases the likelihood of the spread, especially if he went to Canada (NHK might sell out without him, but at least the audience is more likely to be local without him there)

The main thing is I hope he is healthy and happy no matter what happens from here on out. But I'm also impressed with the level of power move he is making. The fact that he announced this decision on the day that the ISU is supposed to make their decisions on the Grand Prix sends a clear message by not allowing them to milk his fame for money at the expense of safety. He's being a real example for the community.

What do people mean by "test" event? Is it just an opportunity for skaters to see what a venue is like or does it have a real impact on qualification or something? Either way, I think it makes more sense for a "test" even to be an event in which the most possible number of skaters have an opportunity to try it out.