Jody Neil Ruth's Blog, page 2

Forty two

I woke up in a simple room with three beds, me on the one closest to the door. I was fully clothed and in the adjoining bed next to me was a Thai woman who woke up with a start when I said, “wheres my son?”.

She held up a piece of paper with 14,000 baht written on it.

“I don’t care,” I said, “I’ll pay it but where is my son?!”

She held her hands out to calm me but I was up and off the bed and looking for a way out. But the problem was I didn’t have a fucking clue where I was.

Never i...

Forty one

Deliberately late this time, as I knew I’d be sat here at Heathrow Airport for a while, so how better to kill time than to write a blog that’s a day late?

But blog number 41 means there’s 11 blogs left until I’ve completed the task I set out to do, which is to write a blog every week throughout 2023. I’ve also got an idea for what I want to do blog-wise next year, but I’m still mulling over it. I’ve actually got a few writing ideas to pursue, so I really need to pull my finger out.

Heathro...

Forty

Week forty of 2023 and I don’t think i could ever have predicted how this year would’ve gone for me, and shit, there’s still twelve weeks left.

I’m in a state of limbo at the moment, waiting for a new adventure to start, and I’m also going away with my youngest next weekend, which is going to be bonkers. Stay tuned for that. In the meantime, I’m back in a truck, helping out those who were good to me, as well as keeping some money coming in.

This past week also marked my twins’ birthday, s...

Thirty nine

This blog is late, as are 25% of them seemingly, and yet I have no excuse. I haven’t been  partying, I haven’t been working. All I’ve done most of the last week is go to the gym early, walk approximately 4km, and then if I’m home and in my pjs by lunch I call that a successful day!

Things are quiet. Things are good. Things are a lot different from 3 weeks ago when I got a telling off in the middle of France by  someone I’d actually listen to.

“This isn’t you,” he said.

“Are you giving m...

Thirty eight

Life has returned to normal, although accompanied by a heavy case of “the holiday blues”. I mean, you know when you return from a week away and you get that low feeling of wanting to get back to where you’d had so much fun? Well, I had that but I’d been away for 6 months so it really sucked.

But I got to see my family again, and my youngest is staying with me now. I’ve been offered work, but not because I’m great, but because there’s always a shortage of drivers everywhere. But ok, maybe it i...

Thirty seven

I’ve had to leave the job I love, the job I was great at, the job I had so much unfulfilled potential yet to explore, and all because they got my ex back into work.

I was promised she was done, that my mental health was more important than her employment, and that I belonged there, not her. To be honest, it wasn’t her decision, and maybe she was as surprised as I was, but I know she thought she was done, she’d left all the work chat groups, and she’d even gone back to stalking me a little, to...

Thirty six

This is the latest I’ve been all year with my weekly blogs. Thirty six weeks and I’ve almost totally dropped the ball.

But I’ll make it up to you, as tomorrow there will be another blog, to catch you, and me, up on everything. Its going to be another deeply personal piece, so that should tell you where my head is at, if you know anything about me.

I’ll just add that I’ve finished touring with Imagine Dragons, and I loved it. Working with the same crew as last year, touring the biggest fest...

Thirty five

Other than England, I’ve now spent more time in Germany in the last two years than anywhere else. I think. Italy might be up around there somewhere.

I like Germany. I like the Germans. All those I’ve spent any length of time with or worked with are all friendly and fun, although I guess that might also be the way I approach people. My friend, Skeete, told me something years ago that I still use unto this day:

It’s nice to be important, it’s more important to be nice.

I think I live my l...

Thirty four

Ask any truck driver from anywhere in Europe and they’ll tell you they hate Paris. The traffic is horrific, the road layout can be convoluted, and it can be pretty dirty in places.

I have my own love/hate relationship with the city, but I admit I haven’t explored as much of it as I’d like to, but what I have seen is either beautiful and cultured, or horrific, convoluted, and stinks of shit. I do like the French people though, for the most part, and it’s hard not to fall in love with any Frenc...

Thirty three.

You know that song with the line, let’s skip to the good part? Well, it’s by a group called AJR. You probably already know that and I’m just a pop culture dinosaur these days, but anyway, they’re supporting Imagine Dragons on our tour and they’re a really fun, very lively, bunch of guys and really rock the house when they’re on. Having started busking in New York, they’re now getting ready for their own tour.

I spoke to their keyboard player, Ryan, a couple of times around shows, and he seems...