SURVIVOR Super Fan

A blog to document my passion and ongoing efforts to be cast on Survivor

Tag Archives: who the hell is rob folz?


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Who is Rob Folz??? Equal parts, Penner, Tyson and Laura M.

So winner Survivor takes more than physical ability…more than scheming and mental toughness…more than social skills…Winning Survivor also requires a certain amount of luck.  I think being cast on Survivor takes a bit of luck as well (tho I believe you need to put yourself in position to get lucky – you can’t just wait for luck).  They could love an applicant, but not have the needed spot for a given season.  Maybe they have too many people from California (almost a given in my opinion), too many bimbos/mimbos (less now than they used too), too many people with life experience (old people – tho age is trending higher in recent years).

One thing I enjoy (and I believe Jeff enjoys) is quick witted folks.  Not only are they quick to speak and usually with humor, but they tend to speak before thinking.  Think Tyson getting up to hug Katie in Blood vs. Water and instead telling her where her seat on the jury awaits.  Jonathan Penner was very quick to verbalize in an intelligent way how he viewed a situation.  I feel i share this “gift” or better to call it a trait, as it can be quick to bite you in the ass.  I am not on the level of Mr. John Cochran, but I tip my cap to him as maybe the best orator to date.

Where does Laura M fit in?  After rewatching Blood vs. Water, she was a challenge beast!  While winning most competitions, she wasn’t afraid to make impulsive decisions to help determine the 2nd place winner in the duals.  I see myself doing exactly that.  It angered Vitas to no end, but I personally would have butted heads with Vitas from day one and would have worked to get his ass out too.

So I can cover the New England requirement (while at my true core I am always a New Yorker).  Successful, father, mature in age (less so in behavior), SuperFan, athletic and competitive, sarcastic, but above all else, I play to win.  As some necker race car driver once said, 2nd place is just the first loser.

penner, apostol, morett

 


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What do Mike Tyson and Cambodia have in common???

I know this is a post title that may leave the younger generation scratching their head a bit, but the key I believe to being successful in the ever changing game of survivor…adaptability.  I have spent many years dreaming, scheming and preparing for my chance to play the greatest game ever.  I do believe my time obsessing will benefit me, but it will not allow me to enter the game with a plan that I anticipate working.  At best, if lucky (luck is another key to winning), my plan will get me off on the right foot.  Whether day one is a tremendous success or I am quickly on the outside of the numbers, every moment I spend fulfilling my dream will require adaptability.  Today’s well laid plan needs to be evaluated, tweaked, and abandoned as the other contestants move, adjust and realign.  I think this is something I bring to the Island.  I believe all the preparation and study of the game will help me identify paths, pitfalls & opportunities.  Sometimes being old enough to recall a famous quote from an athlete years ago can be just the advantage one needs.  Everyone starts day one of Survivor with a plan…just as every fighter has a plan when they step into the ring.

Mike Tyson – “Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.”

Mike Tyson


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Cambodian Tummy Aches – parasites, pathogens & disease vectors!

This post is from what we have seen, what you can learn from Ponderosa & Survivor Talk (shout out to Dalton Ross and his umbrella!) and my experience as a Science Photographer.  We have seen the nasty bites, the nasty Hobbit feet (Stephen Fishbach), and #gastrointestinaldistress.  We witnessed a tremendous effort by Joe Anglim at the immunity challenge only to see his body fail him at the end as his legs gave way and he crashed to the ground.  What we learned on Survivor Talk was that Joe was sick the whole day and night before.  A “bug” was known to be going through camp and contestants were avoiding drinking from the same containers.  While Cambodia’s beaches look stunning and pristine, it is the things you cant’s see that could ruin your game and your health.

For the past 15 years, I have taken thousands of scientific photographs with many of them being photos through the microscope.  These photos have appeared in science textbooks, medical advertisements and medical journals.  So how does this help me?  Why should anybody care?  Well, it makes me keenly aware of the risks in far flung corners of the world.  It means I have a pretty good understanding of the medical risks faced when roughing it.  I tend to lean a bit towards being a Germaphobe, so I would be anal about boiling the water and keeping a clean camp and eating environment.  It shows I have a tremendous attention to the tiniest of details as well as the ability to recognize and opportunity (taking & selling science photographs) and the drive (15 years of technical & often tedious photography!)

 

The bites all over Stephen’s feet appear to be from the Sandfly (Phlebotomus papatasi).

It is said they are nearly transparent (when not viewed at magnification as seen in the photograph taken by the CDC) and smaller than a mosquito.  It is said their bite is slight and often you don’t even know you are getting eaten alive until 12-24 hours later when your feet erupt in sores.  Not only do the Sandflies bite, they are a disease vector transmitting Leishmania parasites.   Contaminated drinking water could have Giardia lamblia, a parasitic Protozoan causing nausea, fatigue and the shits.

 

Survivor Superfan Rob 1

Roundworms, Flukes and parasitic Protists oh my…  Hookworms, Flukes and parasitic Protists oh my…(assuming you got the Wizard of Oz cadence…  Strongyloides, Schistosoma and Trypanosoma oh my…

 

Survivor Superfan Rob 2

 

 

What about some good old fashioned malaria transmitted by the Anopheles mosquito or Yellow Fever from the Aedes argypti mosquito or African Sleeping Sickness from the Tsetse Fly.

Survivor Superfan Rob 3

All of this adds up to a lot of obstacles on your way to one million dollars!  Maybe it means wearing your socks throughout the day and running around like a black-footed ferret (sorry, I have no ferret photos) even if it looks a little silly.  It certainly means not drinking water that has not been boiled which brings us back to my ability to make fire from bamboo (see earlier post).