Now

Hello!

Welcome to By Golly, Ollie!, my quiet corner of the interwebs. My name is Jackie, and I am a millennial / mother / Michigander / blogger / wannabe runner / accountant / local library enthusiast / gamer, kinda. This is a personal blog, which means I’m not entirely certain what you’ll find here, but it will definitely not show up on the first page of Google search results.

Currently: Autumn 2025

What I’ve been reading lately

You can always check out what I’m currently reading HERE. Otherwise, right now I’m trapped in a cycle of DNFing all the books. Even books that I’ve been desperate to get my hands on– like Dungeon Crawler Carl. I’ve been trying to borrow that book from the library since FEBRUARY, but it’s always checked out. I finally brought it home last month but found myself stuck at chapter 26 before returning it. Aside from graphic novels or the books I read with the kiddo, nothing seems to hold my attention. I have no idea what I’m in the mood for lately.

What I’ve been listening to lately

I’m constantly streaming podcast while I work, and these are the ones on heavy rotation right now:

• Those Who Can’t Teach Anymore – a podcast “exploring why teachers are leaving education and what can be done to prevent the exodus”.
• Reignite Podcast – a podcast that chronicles Matt & Frankie’s playthrough of RPG video games. So far, they are focused on the Mass Effect games and the Dragon Age games though they have discussed playing games like Fable in the future. I’m listening to season 5, which is about their Dragon Age: Origins playthrough.
• Ologies – a podcast that explores different scientific fields and features interviews with scientists who are experts in their respective fields. I am obsessed with the two episodes about Salugenology (WHY HUMANS REQUIRE HOBBIES) with Julia Hotz. That’s the podcast title, but I don’t think it accurately describes what the podcast is about. It’s more about the study of what makes people well (which hobbies can certainly be part of).
• Left, Right, and Center – the only podcast about politics that I can stand listening to.

As for music, I’ve really enjoyed the new AFI album, Silver Bleeds the Black Sun… It leans heavy into 1980s post-punk and goth rock, and I love it. It’s wildly different from any AFI album that came before, but it also seems like a natural progression for the band considering their musical influences. Holy Visions, Ash Speck in a Green Eye, and VOIDWARD, I BEND are the songs that stand out to me.

What I’ve been playing

Similar to what I’m experiencing with reading, I cannot seem to finish any video games right now. (Which honestly, is really really fine.) However lately, I keep restarting Skyrim and Fallout 4. I find that I want to be in these worlds, but none of the characters I create interest me. (I just need to create a default character with whom to explore the world without any sort of meta-gamed, pre-destined storyline in mind).

Also, I’m already on my 3rd playthrough of Dragon Age: Veilguard. I love how I keep telling my husband how disappointing this game is while also obsessively bingeing the entire game during a long, holiday weekend.

Current Obsessions

My husband and I are coaching the kiddo’s soccer team this season, and it’s probably the coolest thing we’ve done as a family. Coaching youth soccer is not a thing I ever thought I would do: I am not athletically-inclined, I don’t know the rules of soccer, and being around kids (aside from my own) is not a thing that comes naturally to me. But, it’s been incredibly rewarding, and we are already looking forward to coaching again next season.

What I’ve been working on

Coaching youth soccer has had a profound impact on me. It’s made me realize how rewarding serving my community is (which, should have been obvious, right?) So, I’m in the process of finding other volunteer opportunities that support my community between seasons.

I’m also a really shy person, so I’ve been working on putting myself in social situations to make friends (or at least acquaintances). Lately I’ve been taking craft classes at my local library, but I’ve also been prioritizing coordinating playdates for the kid which gives me the opportunity to hang out with other parents.

Unrelated to socializing, I’ve been trying to push myself in my running routine. I started to include a Sunday Long Run (which for me just means running for 20 minutes without pause, and this is about 2 miles). It’s taken me over a year to get here, which is probably entirely too long for someone in their mid-thirties, but I am proud of myself nevertheless.

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