Chapter 35 - The Eskimo Years

Life doesn’t always unfold in the way we plan. After returning to the UK, broke and defeated, I found myself in an unexpected and challenging role that would ultimately play a pivotal part in rebuilding my career. I became an Eskimo. It was a digital agency with a quirky name that aged badly.

Not the traditional kind, of course—this was a job title that spoke to the responsibilities I took on. As an Eskimo, I managed not just one, but multiple major projects simultaneously. In a way, I had to juggle the complexity of running two distinct ticketing platforms, a role I’d secured against all odds.

To say it wasn’t easy would be an understatement. Managing two ticketing platforms was no small feat. These platforms weren’t just your average ticketing systems—they were large-scale, bustling hubs that required constant attention. They were complex, filled with thousands of transactions, customer inquiries, and constant updates. If anything went wrong, the entire system could implode in a second. The pressure was immense.

And then there was The Darkness. On top of the ticketing work, I was responsible for maintaining their entire online presence. From updates on their website to creating digital content, I was the go-to person for all things web-related. I had to stay on top of everything, balancing deadlines, creatives, and technical demands.

In hindsight, looking after all these projects simultaneously felt like a high-stakes game. But at the time, it was simply survival. I had no choice but to push through, managing to keep everything afloat while dealing with the mental and emotional toll of my situation. The expectations were high, the workload was relentless, but it taught me invaluable skills in multitasking, problem-solving, and working under pressure.

What people didn’t know—especially potential future employers—was how much I was carrying. Managing all of this and trying to keep the dream of Holodex alive was a balancing act that required every ounce of my energy and focus. No one could see the strain behind the scenes, but I was making it work. I was proving to myself that I could do the impossible.

And through all of this, I began to see how much the web, digital experiences, and community management all fit together. Working with The Darkness in particular gave me a front-row seat to what it meant to build a brand and maintain a community. Their fanbase wasn’t just passive consumers—they were active participants. That kind of engagement was exactly what Holodex needed.

While no one would have believed the level of responsibility I was carrying at the time, I knew deep down that this job was more than just about survival. It was about taking what I’d learned and applying it to something bigger—the vision I had for Holodex. Every project I managed, every late-night troubleshooting session, was preparing me for the bigger challenges ahead.

One minute, I was VJing for Kylie, and the next, I was grappling with the bizarre paradox of being "too capable" for most jobs. It’s a strange place to find yourself—skilled enough to do anything but somehow too versatile to fit into any one box.

Take design, for instance. I’ve got 20 years of design experience under my belt, but I’m not technically a designer because I never followed the conventional path. Then there’s development. I’m not a developer anymore, apparently, even though I was once fluent in Flash, back when it was the gold standard for creativity in tech. And then Steve Jobs took a big shit on it.

It’s frustrating, to say the least. I’ve spent years honing skills in areas most people struggle to break into, only to find those very skills working against me in a world that thrives on labels. You’re either this or that—specialised, streamlined, and neatly defined. But what if you’re all of it? What if you’re adaptable, inventive, and able to wear multiple hats?

The problem is, versatility doesn’t fit neatly into job descriptions. You become the jack-of-all-trades they can’t quite categorise, the wildcard who intimidates more than inspires. And so, despite all the talent and experience, you find yourself swimming against the tide, trying to convince people that being "too capable" isn’t a bad thing—it’s a gift.

That’s what made moments like VJing for Kylie so bittersweet. It was proof of what I could do, a shining example of my skills in action. But it also highlighted the struggle of getting the world to see me as more than just a collection of overlapping abilities. I wasn’t incapable—I was too capable, and somehow, that was the problem.

Speaking of the bizarre, I have to share the story of the time I applied to work as a designer for Bizarre magazine, the infamous alternative lifestyle publication that I absolutely adored. It was everything I loved—edgy, creative, unapologetically out there. Naturally, I couldn’t just send a boring CV or portfolio; I had to make my application stand out.

So, I decided to do it my way.

I created an entire fake issue of Bizarre. The concept, the design, the articles—it was all crafted to mimic their tone and aesthetic. Every page was a love letter to the magazine and a showcase of what I could bring to the table.

I sent it off with a mixture of excitement and nervousness. A few weeks later, I received a response from their designer at the time. To my surprise and delight, it was a genuinely kind and complimentary reply. They praised my creativity and bold approach, which meant the world to me.

Ultimately, I didn’t get the job. Maybe I didn’t have the level of technical skill they were looking for at the time, or perhaps the timing just wasn’t right. Still, I was proud of how I’d approached it.

Looking back, it wasn’t just about applying for a job; it was about celebrating something I was passionate about and proving to myself that I could take risks and follow through with them. It’s one of those moments where, even in “failure,” I found a sense of accomplishment that stayed with me.


 

Dave Monk

  • Nationality: Welsh
  • Ethnicity: Caucasian
  • Eye Colour: Blue
  • Hair Colour: Brown
  • Tattoos: None
  • Star Sign: Aries
  • Bra Cup Size: n/a
  • Date of Birth: 46 ( 05 th Apr 1979 )
  • Weight: 60 kg

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Chapter 59 - The Joke’s On Me

And spiral I did. It wasn’t just a stumble; it was a full-on nosedive into a chasm of despair. My thoughts turned darker and more irrational with each passing day. Somehow, in my mind, I managed to twist my personal failures into a catastrophic narrative: I hadn’t just let myself down, I hadn’t just let my loved ones down—I had let all of humanity down. Every mistake I’d made, every missed opportunity, every ounce of potential I’d squandered became magnified into a global tragedy, a weight I carried entirely on my own shoulders.

I was completely broke—broke broke, the kind of broke where even the simplest necessities felt like luxuries out of reach. I lived on tinned soup and stale crackers for weeks, too numb to cook. Friends and family? They were absent, or at least it felt that way. Maybe they didn’t know how to help, or maybe I was too proud to let them in. Either way, the isolation only deepened the pit I was sinking into.

Chapter 58 - The Daylight of Regret

Without Russell as a catalyst, I found myself back at square one again—adrift, untethered, and uncertain of where to channel the energy that had consumed me for years. The obsession that had once fuelled me, given me purpose and a sense of destiny, was gone. And in its absence, the reality of what I had lost began to sink in.

My marriage was in ruins, and I couldn’t deny that it was largely my own doing. I’d poured so much of myself into chasing signs, interpreting omens, and building a narrative around a connection that might never materialise, that I had neglected the one person who had been there for me through it all.

Julia was beautiful—inside and out. She had a warmth that could light up a room and a quiet strength that I had leaned on more than I ever admitted. But even the strongest love has its limits, and I had pushed those limits too far.

Chapter 57 - Holodexxx update

The news that Derek had stolen my idea was a blow I could never have anticipated. It hit me harder than anything I’d ever faced, and yet, I couldn’t even let myself grieve it properly at the time. Instead, I buried the pain as deep as I could, hiding behind the walls I’d built around myself. I tried to push it away, convince myself that it was just another setback in a life full of them. But deep down, the wound festered.

What made it even worse was that I couldn’t stop looking. Every year, I found myself checking on Derek's project, seeing how it was progressing, how they were building something that felt eerily similar to my own vision. It felt like they were rubbing my face in the reality that they had taken what was mine. And no matter how hard I tried to push it aside, every update, every new milestone they achieved only reminded me of how badly I had been wronged.

Chapter 56 - Simon Parkes

Around 2017, something else happened that added another layer of complexity to my growing sense of the extraordinary. I stumbled upon the work of Simon Parkes, a man whose beliefs and teachings resonated deeply with what I had been experiencing. Simon, for those who don’t know, is a fascinating figure—a man who claims to have had contact with extraterrestrial beings, specifically the Mantid beings.

It was an odd pairing—Philip Schofield, the daytime TV presenter who would later fall from grace, hosting a conversation about aliens. It seemed like a setup for ridicule. But Simon came across so calmly, so genuinely, that I couldn’t help but believe him. His words weren’t tinged with the sensationalism that so often accompanies these kinds of stories. He wasn’t trying to sell anything or make himself a profit. It was almost as though he was simply sharing his truth with the world.

Chapter 55 - 1000

It was during one of the most surreal moments of my life that I felt a sense of clarity like never before. Everything seemed perfectly aligned. The universe, in its strange and inexplicable way, felt like it was offering me an undeniable sign that everything was in place, that everything was perfect. I had never felt so elevated, so connected to something bigger than myself.

The feeling was almost intoxicating, and I wanted to share that sense of wonder with the person closest to me—my wife. I had £1000 in my hands, and in a spontaneous burst of elation, I stepped outside, my heart racing with excitement. I called her over, urging her to witness this spectacle, this moment of utter freedom and clarity. Without much thought, I threw the money into the air, watching it flutter down like confetti.

Chapter 54 - When the Call Never Comes

For half a decade, I lived in a holding pattern—watching, hoping, unraveling. I wasn’t expecting a grand proclamation or an earth-shattering revelation, but maybe... an invitation to talk? A chance to share my story with a larger audience? Something. A podcast appearance seemed like the natural step—a way to reach the world with the message I was convinced I carried, without being too overt.

But that call never came.

Looking back, it’s painfully obvious why. Too much of a spark in a world built of dry kindling. My story wasn’t just controversial; it was incendiary. It wasn’t just a narrative; it was a living, breathing challenge to everything people comfortably believed. Russell, for all his spiritual musings and willingness to poke the establishment, clearly knew this was a risk too far.

Chapter 53 - Jesus Paradox

At times, I found myself questioning the nature of my own identity. The thought crept in—was I Jesus himself? I mean, if you think about it, how would Jesus even know he was Jesus in this life? The "rule of forgetfulness," the cosmic law that erases prior memories as we’re reborn, ensures that no one gets a cheat sheet to their divine destiny. It’s the ultimate paradox.

The more I pondered, the clearer it became: even if someone were to come forward and claim such a thing, they'd instantly be met with furious skepticism and ridicule. There’s a societal mechanism in place—an unwritten rule that prevents anyone from seriously entertaining the idea. After all, you'd have to be unbelievably arrogant to make that claim, wouldn't you?

Chapter 52 - Two coloured eyes

It wasn’t just the strange LinkedIn moment that had me spiralling. There was something else, something equally bizarre, that made me question whether the universe was trying to communicate with me on a whole other level.

You see, I have two different coloured eyes—a condition called sectoral-heterochromia. It’s rare enough that it’s always been something that made me feel a little… different. I’ve often wondered if it was some kind of marker, a sign that I was meant for something bigger than just living an ordinary life.

So, there I was, deep in my phase of searching for meaning in every corner of my life, scrolling through lyrics, listening for any hidden messages. Music has always felt like a kind of cosmic language to me, a way for the universe to whisper its secrets. It was during this search that something strange happened.

The Last Shadow Puppets, a band I’ve always loved, released a new single. The song played through my speakers, and I was absorbed in the music, as usual, when suddenly—bam!—the chorus hit.

Chapter 51 - Obsession

At the time, I had a wife, and to say she wasn't thrilled with all the attention I was giving to Russell Brand would be an understatement. I was beyond obsessed. It wasn't just a passing interest or a fan's admiration; it was as though my whole existence had become intertwined with his every move, every tweet, every video. I had an unhealthy fixation, fuelled by my own curiosity, the bizarre moments we shared, and, dare I say, a sense of a hidden connection that I couldn't shake off.

My wife, on the other hand, wasn’t blind to it. She could see how much mental energy I was pouring into this obsession, how my thoughts and attention were consumed by the idea that Russell and I had this strange, almost mystical bond. And to her, it felt like I was neglecting the reality of our life together.

Chapter 50 - The Secret Page

What followed was something I can only describe as... odd. It’s difficult to explain, but I’ll try my best. After that encounter, I found myself paying closer attention to everything Russell was doing—his public appearances, his tweets, his interviews—anything that might give me a hint as to whether The Moon had made an impact.

And then, one day, I noticed something unusual. Russell, who is famously selective about the accounts he follows on social media, had followed a profile that didn’t quite fit. It featured two mischievous-looking characters as its display image, and the account itself had no clear connection to him. It stood out like a sore thumb in his otherwise curated list of follows.

Chapter 49 - Monk, The Moon, and a Message in the Crowd

After my UFO experience, I was buzzing with energy and ideas. I felt like I had stumbled upon something profound—something worth sharing. Fuelled by inspiration, I wrote down the story of my experience in detail. If people had actually read it, they might have seen how deeply it resonated with me and how much thought I had put into it. But the responses, or lack thereof, were disheartening. My story seemed to vanish into the void, met with indifference from those I shared it with.

One particular incident stood out during this time. There was a girl I used to work with named ‘Sarah’. She was incredibly sweet but had a bossy streak that could rub you the wrong way. While I was brainstorming ways to get my story out there, I got the idea to stand out to Capri Anderson. I thought if I could catch her attention, she might remember me and help deliver my story to Russell Brand. It was a bit of a long shot, sure, but I was determined.

Chapter 48 - Just a Glitch in the Matrix

Some coincidences are small. This one felt biblical. It totally freaked me out.

We were at work, scrolling through a list of development houses from all over the world, trying to decide which one to use for a project. After some deliberation, we picked one and started working with them. It seemed like a completely random choice—until the next day.

That morning, I opened LinkedIn to check my notifications, and there it was: "Natali [very unique surname] has viewed your profile.” She worked at the development house.

My heart skipped a beat. I stared at the tiny profile picture, trying to catch up with what my brain was racing to process. It looked like her. Was it?

Natali had been an incredibly important figure in my life—someone who had shaped my understanding of love, connection, and perhaps even fate. Her surname wasn’t common, and seeing it there, connected to this seemingly random developer, felt like the universe was pointing a neon sign directly at me.

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