Dear Jerry,

I have recently picked up a new sport. Airsoft. (Yes! Airsoft is an official sport!) I have been recently working on putting together a loadout. In Airsoft, it means your equipment class (sniper, rifleman pointman, light, medium or heavy infantry, etc) and your Camo pattern/color combo. I have chosen a medium infantry role and it’s corresponding weaponry/clothing. I am looking for a loadout that looks somewhat like the photo. There will be a few slight differences. My gun will be a tan/black color combo with a black M-203 Grenade Launcher on the bottom Picatinny Rail. The pouches will be ACU Camo instead of tan. That about sums it up. Overall, I love airsoft for a couple reasons. One, It is definitely an offbeat hobby. How many people can you meet who enjoy something as different as Airsoft? Not too many and it makes for an interesting conversation topic. Two, it is very fun (to me, at least!) I find it enjoyable to play a game where the object is to be the last person eliminated, capture the flag, or play out a storyline. Three, it is a sport that requires speed, endurance, and sometimes, stealth. In Airsoft, you will find yourself dashing between trees, sprinting across a field to steal a flag, or sneaking through bushes to ambush the enemy. It is a game that requires both physical and mental fitness. A game of strategy. That is the biggest reason why I love it.
There are two main drawbacks to Airsoft. It is dangerous, and it is expensive. Airsoft is dangerous because you are being shot at by a gun that can toss a quarter gram BB anywhere from 300-850 feet at velocities that approach a .22 short (700-850 Feet Per Second) That is a lot of power! The biggest danger is the eye. If you get hit on bare skin from around 20-40 feet, you might bleed a little, but nothing serious. Just make sure you wear eye protection at all times while on the field.
The second drawback is that Airsoft is expensive. A nice automatic rifle will run you anywhere from $120-$400! Anything cheaper then $120 is most often a piece of cheap trash that will break within a couple of months. Trust me. I know. a professionally purchased loadout could cost over $500 WITHOUT a gun!! That is a lot of money for a sport!! (My loadout is NOT professionally done, so it will cost MUCH much less. My guns however, are a different story.)
Even being dangerous and expensive, Airsoft is by far the favorite sport I have ever played, and I look forward to more exciting games.

Sincerely,

Zachary.

Dear Jerry,

I am terrified of spiders. I hate them and I am convinced that they hate me too. Fear of spiders is what arachnophobia means. That is what I have. Most people have ophidiophobia, which is fear of snakes. I know I do not. Anyway, whenever I see a spider, I usually kill it, and every time I get one on me, I yell and whack at it until it falls off or dies. I do not know why I am afraid of them, I just always have been. One reason I hate spiders is because they have a psychic ability to build their webs at exactly the place where your face will pass through while mowing the lawn or such. Walking through a spider web is really not a very pleasant experience. The web has a way of wrapping around your head in such a way as to leave it’s occupant on your face. Not the most pleasant of experiences. Especially if the spider is large. Walking through a web is something that has always made me scream. I have walked through three of them before. Each time my dislike for spiders multiplied exponentially.
My first encounter with a large spider was not a pleasant one. I found a large wolf spider in the bathroom. At night around midnight. Everybody was asleep except me. I went to the bathroom to get a drink or something. I turned on the light and there it sat. A wolf spider in the middle of the floor. Wolf spiders are fairly large. They are about as big as an adults hand when the spiders legs are stretched. Wolf spiders are also venomous, so I had no desire to let capture it and let it go outside. I went and got a basketball from my room and ran back to the bathroom. Ready, aim, fire! I dropped the basketball on the spider and killed it. What I did not know is that female wolf spider mothers carry their young on their back. This spider was a female. And a mother. With young on her back. They scattered all over the bathroom. Springing into action I stomped those babies dead. A spider apocalypse was averted, but I would never be the same. I have never liked spiders but this encounter made my fearful of spiders.
So, I guess even a guy can have a fear that seems silly. I don’t think it is bad to be scared of something. The thing is, don’t let that fear control you. Control your fear. I don’t mean to come off all philosophical on you, but it is true. Spiders may seem small an insignificant to you, but not to me. Likewise snakes may terrify you, but not me.

Sincerely,

Zachary.