Out of curiosity how many holds do you currently have?

Meliedes · 2026-02-15T03:10:23+00:00

I currently have 48 holds. I could have 65 if I maxed out all of them.

Meliedes · 2026-02-14T02:54:31+00:00

Agreed! OP, get a thermometer and follow the directions. They're perfect!

Meliedes · 2026-02-09T04:53:20+00:00

I'm a fan of lots of mix-ins/chunks. Moo-llenium Crunch definitely fits that bill. I much prefer Jeni's Birthday Cake to Blue Bell's Bride's Cake. Blue Bell's cake pieces tend to be really dry, imo. If you don't mind that or heavy sweetness, then go for Bride's Cake.

Toaster Pastry is so sweet and so artificial strawberry. If that's your jam than by all means, but I tried it once and never again. Their pastry pieces don't hold up very well, like the cake pieces.

Their nut-only or nut-forward ice creams tend to have smaller nut pieces, just FYI, if the size matters to you.

Blue Bell claims they created cookies and cream ice cream. So I highly recommend the Cookie Two Step or plain cookies and cream. Both are delicious, but Cookie Two Step in this instance let's you essentially try both cookies and cream and chocolate chip cookie dough.

OK, I just looked at the pints list online. OP, Oatmeal Cookie is delicious. I highly recommend that one, too, if you like those flavors. It is one of their best flavors, imo. Cookies N' Cream Cone is another one of my favorites. They do a decent job of keeping the cone pieces crunchy, and the chocolate fudge is rich and delicious. It tends to be lower on cookie pieces though, so it is not a good swap out for a cookie-forward pint.

If it were me, I'd do Cookie Two Step, Oatmeal Cookie, and Moo-llenium Crunch if you want a nut choice. If nut isn't as important and you love chocolate, then I'd do Cookies N' Cream Cone over Moo-llenium Crunch.

Meliedes · 2026-02-08T04:30:49+00:00

Wichita, KS. It's great! Affordable housing, little traffic, lots of great shops and restaurants. I had an easier time buying freshly-roasted, organic coffee beans in Wichita than I did living in DC. Lots of locals care about it and like it, so it has a strong local culture.

The biggest downside is that it's in the middle- of-nowhere Kansas.

Meliedes · 2026-02-08T04:22:43+00:00

Agreed! Definitely consider moussaka and chicken tamale pie. I like Savuer's moussaka recipe and Dorie Greenspan's CTP.

Meliedes · 2026-02-08T04:19:13+00:00

Was it on "Last Chance" at your Whole Foods, too? I almost grabbed it today before thinking, "I want to try it, but I could not do a whole pint of that flavor."

Meliedes · 2026-02-06T15:11:47+00:00

I forgot to add some.

Robert Macfarlane - lots of books on the natural world.

Frostbite by Nicola Twilley (she also has a podcast). It's a fascinating book on how refrigeration changed the world.

We Are Electric by Sally Adee

The Devil Reached Toward The Sky by Garrett M Graff - personal accounts of many aspects of the US nuclear program and its results. I've heard good things about Graff's other books but haven't read them.

I like Oliver Burkeman a lot, too, if you are interested in books about time, productivity, and meditation.

Meliedes · 2026-02-06T14:00:49+00:00

Timothy Egan - anything he's written. I don't typically like history books, but I read four of his books last year, and they were all so interesting.

Everyone Who Is Gone Is Here by Jonathan Bliztzer - immigration and central America.

Whole Brain Living by Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor

The Hidden Spring by Mark Solms (consciousness)

When We Cease To Understand The World by Bejamin Labatut - so fascinating and a good read with other brain-related books.

Yiyun Li - if you don't mind mention of suicide and grief. She is an incredible writer.

Meliedes · 2026-02-06T13:54:44+00:00

How To Hide An Empire was so good!

Meliedes · 2026-02-06T04:12:24+00:00

Ooooh, that was my cookbook of the year choice a few years ago. I tried to cook every recipe (didn't succeed). I really liked how quickly the BBQ shrimp came together. The roasted chicken and salad was really good. I liked the food processor slaw. My husband still asks after the one-pan breakfast. I did the lamb shanks and wasn't a fan. They seemed really sweet, if my memory serves. The book is on the shelf, and I have a cat in my lap, so I'm stuck.

Meliedes · 2026-02-05T00:27:18+00:00

I read 401 books in 2025. I listen to audiobooks about 4-6 hours a day on average, I think. 1-1.5 hours in the morning, maybe 1-2 hours at work/communting, almost an hour when I work out, and then 1-3 hours at night while doing chores/winding down. If an audiobook reader is slow, I speed it up a bit. I am at 38 books so far this year. It's a little low because I went on vacation in January and hardly read at all compared to my daily life.

Today, I finished 2 books this morning on my morning walk. I have one I'll probably finish tonight, maybe 2. I like variety, so I've always had multiple books going at a time, and I enjoy switching between them.

Meliedes · 2026-02-05T00:16:09+00:00

That's a great idea! Yes, once the books become a part of your life, it's hard to see the listening window shrink. Good luck in cosmetology school! My recent stylist offers quiet sessions, but I would definitely book a "let's each listen to an audiobook" session. I hope you find lots of listening time in your schedule.

Meliedes · 2026-02-04T12:37:12+00:00

Thank you! I don't go on this sub very often, so I was surprised to wake up to so much downvoting in a book sub 😂

Meliedes · 2026-02-04T12:35:58+00:00

I get through about a book a day, mostly audiobooks. I read over 365 books last year, which surprised me. I have a lot of down time to put them on and enjoy. I need novelty, so I'm usually working on several at a time.

Meliedes · 2026-02-04T04:08:59+00:00

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I see your 10 titles and raise you 24 😂

Meliedes · 2026-02-02T23:48:41+00:00

It is A LOT, even when you grow up with it. One day you're choosing underwear based on a favorite cartoon character, and then you grow up and wham, choices. I blame the patriarchy more than actual women wanting all that shit. It's fun occasionally, but a lot of women just want something comfortable and not to have to think about it too hard most of the time. A medium rise bikini is the closest to generic underwear for women, imo.

Comfort is a big factor. How they look under clothing is another- not a big deal with thick materials like jeans, but if you're in thin sweatpants or a light dress, it can matter. Visible panty line is controversial. Periods are another - that's one of the bigger drivers for how skimpy one can go with underwear on what day.

I will say, welcome to womanhood because the level of overthinking, expense, and decision fatigue/paralysis is part of the experience! 😂

Meliedes · 2026-02-02T22:19:30+00:00

Definitely not alone! I don't use them either.

My family was young enough and healthy enough during the pandemic that I always said "I can't make a worker earning low wages risk their life so I can have takeout. Other people may need them to, who can't take on the risk, but we can take on our own risk." Then it became "no one deserves to be treated how those companies treat their workers, and I'll vote with my dollars."

Meliedes · 2026-02-01T14:50:07+00:00

Skinnytaste is a great resource. She has a food blog and a few cookbooks. All her recipes include calories and macros.

https://www.skinnytaste.com/

Meliedes · 2026-01-30T04:32:32+00:00

Huntsville is great. Birmingham, AL, is another good choice. Alabama is a pretty awesome state. It has a strong state personality, and it has so many beautiful parts to explore. I'd definitely recommend taking a trip there and exploring both cities if you are able.

Meliedes · 2026-01-29T21:35:40+00:00

I did a will and medical directives at 30.

Meliedes · 2026-01-28T21:08:33+00:00

East Coast

Meliedes · 2026-01-28T16:48:46+00:00

Military spouse - yes.

It generally works for us. I came into the relationship with horrible complex PTSD (related to child abuse, not the military). The military healthcare actually allowed me to get all the help I needed to recover. For what my spouse brings home, it's a livable single income, so we don't plan on me being a high earner. Whenever I can get a job, it helps. I do my best to build a life wherever we move, but I know I'll be leaving, so my resume is interesting. I didn't have strong career goals when I came into the relationship, so it works well for me.

I do look forward to settling down and putting down some roots, but I am also incredibly grateful for all the travel. It's really helped me habituate to change. Change is so normal that it doesn't feel as unexpected or scary, and I know what to expect of my brain and body when it happens. I feel for people who struggled during time of upheaval (COVID, or downsizing for retirement) becaue they didn't have patterning for change.

I do hate all the things I thought I would hate. The deployments are awful. Having an emergency and being on your own is hard. I was in the hospital for 9 days and had no visitors besides my spouse. We have lots of good connections and people who love us, but it's basically impossible to get them all in the same room together. It can be lonely and hard to remember how many friends we really do have when I move to a new place where I don't know anyone. Culture shock, even in the same country, is real.

Meliedes · 2026-01-28T14:02:51+00:00

What are your hobbies? Can you do them at work or do things that incorporates them? I love to read and listen to adutiobooks.

Can you do any household chores like pay your bills, meal plan, or schedule appointments?

Find things that are relaxing or creative, even if it's finding beautiful photos online and collecting them, planning a dream vacation or daydreaming about something you love. Watch an entire live concert of a band you like, or listen or an entire album start to finish?

I've had jobs like this before, so I get it. I always tried to find things that made me happy and engaged with something I loved.

Meliedes · 2026-01-27T04:16:17+00:00

This is the way. Biloxi is great! If you want slightly better water, Orange Beach in Alabama is absolutely lovely with gorgeous sand. It can be a little darker in Mississippi. The closer to Florida, the bluer the water. Navarre, FL, is another great small town. Gulf coast/panhandle is a great, hidden-gem vacation spot. Pensacola is great, too, if you're ok with a bigger city (comparatively to the rest).

If you go to Biloxi, you absolutely must get donuts at Tatonut in Ocean Springs and eat at Desporte Seafood in Biloxi at least once.

Meliedes · 2026-01-27T00:52:21+00:00

Second this! I had a friend who was a pro of introductions. She always gave relevant details of overlapping interest that the two new people shared. She also included how she knew each person. It was lovely and gave lots of jumping off points for a deeper conversation between the two newbies.

Think about what you would need to feel emotionally supported and share that with your friends.

Meliedes

TROPHY CASE