Dash Riprock
Master Don Juan
I live in the US. I'm curious what is being broadcast in Russia regarding the Ukraine crisis.
She says the movie looks dumb; you suddenly agree. She tests you with a little attitude; you apologize for nothing.
You think you're being easy to get along with. She reads something else entirely: a man with no edges. Nothing to hold on to. No friction, no tension, no reason to wonder what he really thinks.
The "22 Rules" taught me to push back — playfully, calmly, without needing her approval. Strange things happened after that.
She calls you when her car breaks down. When she needs help moving. When some guy she's actually dating treats her badly.
You're the listener. The reliable one. The guy who would treat her so much better, if she'd just open her eyes.
She won't. You trained her to see you as the low-effort option — the friend who requires zero risk and zero investment. Every favor dug the hole deeper.
The "22 Rules" break the pattern. You'll stop auditioning for a role she already cast and become the man she chases instead. It starts with Rule 1.
Now I think this conversation is going into geopolitics, which I don't think it's allowed by the forum. That being said, Putin is not stupid, there are several factors that are going on that go into the geopolitical calculation. One useful perspective is the geographic heartland theory, I would recommend "The Geographical Pivot of History" by Sir Halford John Mackinder and the "Absent Superpower" by Peter Zeihan (I don't agree with Zeihan on a lot of issues, but he is a good communicator).Putin is on a mass propaganda campaign on Russian tv but I don't think it's working in the era of social media. People inside and outside of Russia can see he needlessly attacked a peaceful sovereign country.
The world is watching.
This will prove to be the biggest military and diplomatic blunder of the 21st century as the world coordinates to bring crushing sanctions to his country. Sadly, the innocent Russian people will be greatly affected.
I can say the US is on very high alert and should he place so much as a toe nail on NATO ground, he will be wiped out.
Next Monday you'll feel more confident. After the gym you'll feel more confident. After one more drink you'll feel more confident. After you get a better haircut, a better jacket, a better job.
You've been "getting ready" for two years.
She's standing ten feet away right now. She'll be gone in four minutes. No amount of preparation will manufacture the courage that only comes from moving your feet.
Walk over. Stumble through the first sentence. Let it be clumsy. Let it be imperfect. You will feel more alive in those ten seconds than you have all month.
You might have misspelled "we will all be wiped out". I suppose the US, Europe, and Russia could end up as smoking holes and China could be left standing.I can say the US is on very high alert and should he place so much as a toe nail on NATO ground, he will be wiped out.
Putin is on a mass propaganda campaign on Russian tv but I don't think it's working in the era of social media. People inside and outside of Russia can see he needlessly attacked a peaceful sovereign country.
The world is watching.
This will prove to be the biggest military and diplomatic blunder of the 21st century as the world coordinates to bring crushing sanctions to his country. Sadly, the innocent Russian people will be greatly affected.
I can say the US is on very high alert and should he place so much as a toe nail on NATO ground, he will be wiped out.
Dinner ran three hours. She laughed at everything. You walked her to her car thinking this one's locked in.
Then: nothing. Two texts. No reply. What happened?
You did what most men do on a great date. You filled every silence, answered every question, and left her with nothing to wonder about. No mystery. Nothing to sit with when she got home.
Rule 3 of the "22 Rules" changes the ending: tell her a little, hold back the rest, and let her imagination do the chasing. The ghosting stops too.
Unacceptable. “The West” has not invaded Putin nor his allies. If sovereign countries want to join NATO that is their prerogative.Western alliés keep poking the bear, Russia is isolated and surrounded, Putin trying To maintain a bufferzone
Should probably say something about this. This is a major international event, it would be hard to justify blocking it all and pretending it doesn't happen. You are not wrong, politics quickly get out of hand when wild speculations appear and hostilities between forum members grow. That's why the rule exists.Now I think this conversation is going into geopolitics, which I don't think it's allowed by the forum.
Basically, he is paranoid. And he is upset with former members of the Soviet Union who have chosen to associate themselves with the West.Unacceptable. “The West” has not invaded Putin nor his allies. If sovereign countries want to join NATO that is their prerogative.
Attraction runs on a clock.
She flirted for weeks. Touched your arm. Found reasons to be alone with you. And you were careful. Respectful. Waiting for the right moment.
The moment had a shelf life. It expired around month two, and by the time you asked her out, she'd quietly filed you under "little brother."
One of the hardest lessons inside the 22 Rules: women rarely wait. Interest either grows or it decays, and nothing decays it faster than a man who never moves.
Make the move while she's still inventing reasons to be near you.
It's like Putin's Cuban Missle Crisis.I think what made him flipping were the attacks on the russian minorities in the east but even more the fact that nato missiles would have been put in ukraine.
Which in no way justifies his actions or the authoritarian form of government.Basically, he is paranoid. And he is upset with former members of the Soviet Union who have chosen to associate themselves with the West.
No. If the citizens of Texas vote to become part of Mexico, that doesn’t give Mexico the right to invade the USA to “reclaim” Texas.The same could be said about the people of Crimea. They voted to become part of Russia.
That does not permit for invasion of a sovereign country.International law says people have the right to self determination.
No, that is illegitimate. Again, if citizens of US State Texas hold a vote to join Mexico, they are not part of Mexico nor does it permit an invasion by Mexico into the US.It's not invasion when the people within the boundaries choose to secede and join another govt. That's self determination.
That sentence contains at least five follow-up questions she WANTS you to ask. Where in Florida? What brought you here? How long have you been in the area? What do you miss? How does it compare to here?
She handed them to you on a silver platter. And you said, "Oh cool. I come here every week. I love this band. Ummm... pretty crowded tonight."
She smiled politely. Nodded. And never texted you back.
I was that guy for years. Talking too much. Listening too little. Panicking about my next sentence while she was literally feeding me the answers.
Then I found 22 rules that fixed the whole thing. Rule number one: shut up and listen. She'll tell you exactly what to say.