Ice cream = yummy

With the impending Brain Freeze challenge, I decided to go into training. While assembling my Easter Peepsicles I had to buy a box of Popsicles for the sticks. I could have bought just sticks at the local craft store but what am I to do with 500 Popsicle sticks? Actually I know a billion things I could do with them, but I don't really have that kind of free time these days. So my training has consisted of eating Popsicles (actually, pudding pops) on a regular basis, hoping to build up a cold food tolerance. Honestly, though, I don't usually keep ice cream in the house. Me and dairy don't get along for the most part. If I have a big bowl of ice cream I have to chase it with a glass of water or I'll be feeling quite yucky for the next day or so. But when you're in training, certain sacrifices must be made, right? Actually, if I do buy ice cream it is pretty much one of three varieties: Breyer's Natural Vanilla Bean (With real vanilla bean specks!) Moose Tracks (Mayfield if I can get it.) Edy's Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough The link above for Edy's shows the ice cream as I know and love it, but that web page is a "hidden" page. If you go through Edy's website and look for Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough ice cream you will find this web page. I am curious how Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream can be "A New and Exciting Fun Flavor, Frozen Dairy Dessert" when I have been eating it since 1994?[insert wavy flashback lines]Just after I graduated from Mercer in 1994, I moved into an on campus apartment. One of my fraternity brothers, Jack moved into the apartment above me with his wife, Tina, and their soon to be born daughter, Betty. Jack was starting at Mercer's Law School and I was starting at Mercer's School of Engineering in the fall. With a baby on the way and law school looming, Jack chose to ride a bike most everywhere leaving their station wagon for Tina to drive. Made plenty of sense, saved gas money, and also allowed Jack to stay in shape, and pregnant Tina had a car in case of emergencies. Jack always was kind of smart like that. I spent my summer working at Mercer's Post Office. Running all over campus and up and down stairs lugging 50 pound buckets of mail all over. That allowed me to save gas money and stay in shape, but oddly it didn't really save me much money. I just made me sweat. A lot. I apparently am not kind of smart like that. One afternoon, as I sat on the couch recovering from work, there was a frantic knock on the door. I opened it to find Jack, obviously excited and slightly sweaty. He had what seemed a simple question. But since he was pre-law, I should have known any "simple question" from Jack was a loaded question. Jack asked:Hey, Jason, do you like ice cream?The following is the story, as related to me by Jack: Jack was riding his bike home from the Law School, which entails riding it up Georgia Avenue. Those familiar with Macon and the Law School know exactly the torture I speak of. The Law School is perched upon the highest point in Macon, yet somehow every road around it seems to go up hill both ways. As Jack was pedaling up hill he came upon an ice cream truck. Not the clown music kind of ice cream truck that attracts children for miles. This was a freezer truck meant to deliver ice cream to grocery stores. The driver flagged Jack down and told him that his truck was broken down and without being able to run the engine the ice cream was going to melt. He made Jack the offer of a lifetime:You can have as much ice cream as you can carry.Since Jack was on a bike, I bet the driver felt that would be one container. But as I have said, Jack is kind of smart. Jack pedaled home like the wind and picked up the station wagon. He then drove back to the stranded truck and started to load up his station wagon. I am unsure if Jack had completely thought out his plan or not. If he had he is even more brilliant than I had ever thought. Personally I would have taken one or two cartons and been happy with that. Jack must have taken like 20 or 30 quarts. I mean it was a lot of ice cream. You always hear the stories of pregnant women and their ice cream cravings, but how much ice cream can a girl eat in 9 months? I asked Jack how much he got and Jack's reply was simple: "All of it." It was everywhere. Once Jack got home he either realized his problem (too much ice cream, no time, and even less freezer space) or he put his master plan in action. Jack and Tina started calling everyone they knew. Even though it was summer time, there were still plenty college friends in town. They apparently made everyone the same offer they made me:Let us keep some ice cream in your freezer, and you can keep half of it.Since I hadn't learned to REALLY cook yet, my freezer was bare. I believe I got 2 or 2 1/2 gallons shoved in there. Thinking back on it, I am not sure if Jack ever did come back for his half of the ice cream, but I sure ate Edy's for the rest of the summer. You simply can't beat coming home from a long sweaty day of delivering mail and kicking back on the sofa to a big bowl of Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough ice cream (and a tall glass of ice water). That was probably one of the greatest summers of my life. To this day, I can't have cookie dough ice cream without thinking back to that summer. I guess I need to thank Jack for introducing me to Edy.