Sean Conway

Author Archive

Yinz is from the Picksburgh area or maybe you grew up there if:

1. You didn’t have a spring break in high school.

2. You walk carefully when it is “slippy” outside.

3. You often go down to the “crick.”

4. You’ve told your children to “red up” their rooms.

5. You can remember telling your little brother/sister to stop being so ” nebby.”

6. You’ve gotten hurt by falling into a “jaggerbush”.

7. Your mother or grandmother has been seen wearing a “babushka” on her head.

8. You’ve “worshed” the clothes.

9. I ask you to hand me one of those “Gum-Bands” an’ you actually know what I’m talking about.

10. You know you can’t drive too fast on the back roads, because of the deer.

11. You know Beaver Valley , Turtle Crick, Mars, Slippery Rock, Greentree and New Castle are names of towns. And you’ve been to most, if not all, of them.

12. A girl walks up to three of her girl friends and says, “HEY,YENZ GUYS!”

13. You hear “you guyses” and don’t think twice. Example: “you guyses hause is nice.”

14. You know the three rivers by name and understand that “The Point” isn’t just on a writing instrument.

15. Someone refers to “The Mon” or “The Yough” and you know exactly what they’re talking about.

16. You remember the blizzard o f 1993 (or 1976, or 1950, or 1939, or…) and remember not being able to go outside because the snow was over your head and you would have suffocated.

17. Someone starts the chant, “Here we go Still-ers!” and you join in. In the proper cadence, waving the appropriately colored towel.

18. Bob Prince and “There’s a bug loose on the rug.” hold special meaning for you.

19. You’ve either eaten a Farkleberry Tart or know someone who has.

20. You drink pop, eat hoagies, love perogies and one of your favorite sandwiches actually has coleslaw and French fries ON it.

21. You know what a “still mill” is.

22. You expect temps in the winter to be record-breaking cold and temps in the summer to be record-breaking hot.

23. You know what Eat ‘N Park is and frequently ate breakfast there at 2:00 AM after the bar closed and made fun of people.

24. You order “dippy eggs” in a restaurant and get exactly what you wanted.

25. You spent your summers, or a school picnic at Luna Park , Kennywood, Westview, Sand Castle , or Idlewild.

26. You’ve been to the Braun’s Bread Plant or Story Book Forest for a school field trip. We went to the Heinz plant and the Isaly’s plant for Cub Scouts.

27. “Chipped ham” was always in your refrigerator when you were growin’up.

28. You refuse to buy any condiments besides Heinz unless a Pittsburgh athlete’s picture is on the side of the container.

29. When you call the dog or the kids you shout, “Kum-mere” and they come.

30. Franco, Roberto, and Mario don’t need last names and you can recite their exploits by heart.

31. Food at a wedding reception consists of rigatoni, stuffed cabbage, sauerkraut and polska kielbasa. 32.  You’ve been to Sathside and Dahntahn.

32, 3/17/1936 flood ;Washington Blve. had water up past the “Ink Well”.

33. Blony sanich.

34. Sliberty.
You’ll send this on to family and friends who used to live in the Pittsburgh area as well as to those who have never lived there, just so they can appreciate how different western PA really is. Wonder how many of yinz guys actually understood all dat? Some folks just don’t.

It’s winter in Pennsylvania
And the gentle breezes blow
Seventy miles an hour
At twenty-five below.

Oh, how I love Pennsylvania
When the snow’s up to your butt
You take a breath of winter
And your nose gets frozen shut.

Yes, the weather here is wonderful
So I guess I’ll hang around
I could never leave Pennsylvania
‘Cause I’m frozen to the ground!!

2000 APC Big Boy SRWD One Owner Bike Purchased from the Manufacturer

11,500 USD OR Best Offer

S&S 113 Heads by Hemi Design appx 130 HP
S&S Super G Carb (Fresh Rebuild)
Zippers Red Shift Cam PN: 647V2
Daytona twintec programmable ignition.
Accessories Unlimited 6 Speed Polished Trans
Screamin Eagle Race Brace (Carlini Torque Arm)
3″ BDL Open Primary
FishTail Exhaust
New battery
Kuryakyn Pro Series Hypercharger Air Cleaner (Butterflies removed)
Dakota Digital Speedo
ASM4250 Thunderheart Wiring Harness (no fuses or circuit breakers)
Chrome Oil Cooler, mounts to “V” down tubes V-Twin PN: 40-0340
Paint by Airea 5150 with Hotrod Flames/ Skull and Cross Bones
9.5″ Wide Rear Fender (Steel)
Gold Coin from Pirates of the Caribbean (cast in silver and Gold Plated)
Low Profile Detachable Windshield (Harley Part)
Avon Gangster White Walls with Good Tread and no burnouts
Teardrop Headlight

This Bike has Never been Wrecked

just tuned up and oil changed.

Clear Nevada Title

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I am passing this on  because it definitely works and we could all use a little more calmness in our lives.

By following simple advice heard on the Oprah show, you, too, can find inner peace.

Dr. Oz proclaimed, ‘The way to achieve inner peace is to finish all the things you have started and have never finished.’

So, I looked around my house to see all the things I started and hadn’t finished, and before leaving the house this morning, I finished off a bottle of White Zinfandel, a bottle of Tequila, a 12 pack of Bud, a package of Oreos, the remainder of my old Prozac prescription, the rest of the cheesecake, some Doritos, and a box of chocolates.

You have no idea how freaking good I feel right now.

Pass this on to anyone you think might be in need of inner peace.

This was sent to me in an email and was credited to Jay Leno, i am not sure where it actually came from but its soo true!

Here’s to US!!!!
No matter what our kids and the new generation think about us, WE ARE AWESOME !!!! OUR LIFE IS LIVING PROOF !!!!

To Those of Us Born 1930 – 1979 TO ALL THE KIDS WHO SURVIVED THE 1930′s, 40′s, 50′s, 60′s and 70′s!!

First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they were pregnant. They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can and didn’t get tested for diabetes. Then after that trauma, we were put to sleep on our tummies in baby cribs covered with bright colored lead-base paints.  We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, locks on doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes, we had baseball caps not helmets on our heads.
As infants & children, we would ride in cars with no car seats, no booster seats, no seat belts, no air bags, bald tires and sometimes no brakes. Riding in the back of a pick- up truck on a warm day was always a special treat.

We drank water from the garden hose and not from a bottle. We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and no one actually died from this. We ate cupcakes, white bread, real butter and bacon. We drank Kool-Aid made with real white sugar. And, we weren’t overweight.. WHY? Because we were always outside playing…that’s why!

We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on..
No one was able to reach us all day. And, we were OKAY.

We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride them down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem.

We did not have Play stations, Nintendo’s and X-boxes. There were no video games, no 150 channels on cable, no video movies or DVD’s, no surround-sound or CD’s, no cell phones, no personal computers, no Internet and no chat rooms. WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them!

We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no lawsuits from these accidents. We would get spankings with wooden spoons, switches, ping pong paddles, or just a bare hand and no one would call child services to report abuse.

We ate worm and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever.
We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays, made up games with sticks and tennis balls and, although we were told it would happen, we did not poke out very many eyes.

We rode bikes or walked to a friend’s house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just walked in and talked to them.
Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn’t had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!!

The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law!

These generations have produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever. The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas. We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned how to deal with it all. If YOU are one of them, CONGRATULATIONS!

You might want to share this with others who have had the luck to grow up as kids, before the lawyers and the government regulated so much of our lives for our own good. While you are at it, forward it to your kids so they will know how brave and lucky their parents were.

Kind of makes you want to run through the house with scissors, doesn’t it ?

An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life. “A fight is going on inside me,” he said to the boy.

“It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves.

One is evil – he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.”

He continued, “The other is good – he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you – and inside every other person, too.”

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win?”

The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.”

I was introduced to the Movie The Secret about 3 years ago, and have done my best to implement the Law of Attraction ever since. I have attended several seminars and programs dealing with the Law of Attraction and i am a graduate of Psi7.
I can tell you from experience this is not BS or some kind of weird religion and has changed my life. I am no longer worried about money and find that i am more relaxed. But more importantly my personal and business relationships are stronger and more fulfilling.

One thing i have noticed and experienced for myself is after watching the movie The Secret people are motivated to make The Law of Attraction a part of their lives but miss a big part of  what its all about. Its not a “wishing well” where you toss in a coin make your wish and wait, yes the Genie of the Universe does say your wish is my command but the missing Secret is Action! Don’t get me wrong, there are other aspects such as focus and clarity about what you want and being aware of when opportunities to achieve your goals, wants and desires are presented to you but i believe the big secret to get what you want out of your life is ACTION.

I recently attended a James Ray seminar and many things he said struck a cord with me but the best “one liner” was , “Remember 67% of attraction is action, attr-ACTION”.

With that said, i believe i have found the best follow up to The Secret, a book from Joe Vitale called The Missing Secret. This book is a hands on how to manual for the law of attraction and cleared up allot of things for me, and hopefully for you. Joe gets to the core of how he made the Law work for him and how you can improve your results,  achieve your goals and dreams without fail. I have just finished the audio book and will continue to write about my experience, but i can’t urge you enough to get this book, if you have a desire to achieve more this will be a valuable tool in your quest for living the life you want.

From Amazon—

The phenomenal popularity of The Secret has put widespread attention on the age-old universal force known as the Law of Attraction. As one of the stars of The Secret, few people are more familiar with the true impact of this phenomenon than bestselling author Joe Vitale. According to Joe, it’s one thing to know what the Law of Attraction is, but you must understand the “Missing Secret” if you want to put the power of this incredible force to work for you. He reveals the easily remedied reasons why the Law of Attraction doesn’t always work the way it is “supposed to” – why bad things happen to good people – and why you sometimes seem to attract the exact opposite of what you consciously want. In The Missing Secret you’ll discover how to:

• Turn ANY desire into reality, using the proven 5-step Attractor Factor Process
• Stop attracting what you don’t want
• Remove all your limitations and start living and achieving at a level you never imagined possible
• Begin to instantaneously heal injury, illness, disconnects, and more, using 4 simple phrases
• Attract positive outcomes into the lives of others – no matter how far away they are or how difficult their challenges may be…and so much more!

The Missing Secret is the key to the Law of Attraction you’ve been waiting for. Once you have it, you’ll have everything you need to attract and enjoy anything you want — for yourself and for the people you love — for the rest of your life.

I have Decided to buy another touring bike and let someone new enjoy this bike!

its a 2000 APC Big Boy and is basically the same configuration as a Heritage Softail with out the floor boards
that is where the similarity ends, The Paint work was done by Airea 5150 and used in some of their advertising. (tins only) i removed the chrome dash and replaced it with a painted version (Chrome tends to be blinding!) since the

ignition was moved to the coil cover i placed a coin from the first Pirates of the Caribbean and had Airea 5150 paint the dash to match and add the skeleton forearm holding the coin. this coin was cast from an original from the movie,

More Pictures Below

the ones used in the movie were plastic or potmetal and i didnt think it would stand up, it is sterling silver and 14k gold plated. it is also back lit with orange LED’s there is also a Küryakyn voltage meter above the coin.

the stock rear fender has been replaced with a 9.5 inch version, also painted to match by Airea 5150. i was going to go to a 200MM rear tire but never did. the belt drive has been replaced by a chain (explanation later)

the engine is an S&S 113 but has had the top end redone by Hemi Design, due to a dyno mishap about 3 years ago, the air cleaner bolts entered the rear cylinder, and bent the valves. the bottom only had 15,000 miles at this time and was not damaged, but the head, piston and cylinder were scored and chipped. Hemi Design removes a lot of metal from the head so they were salvageable and the cylinders only required a .30 over boar. i replaced the complete valve train with recommended parts from Hemi Design, Zippers Redline cam and lifters all new pushrods and rocker arms, the best $3,000 performance modification i have ever seen! i have been reluctant to put it back on the dyno but the PRE modification run was 107 HP and 110 ft pounds of torque. the post modification passes the “Seat of the pants” dyno with flying colors and i would estimate an increase of 20-25 HP and at least the same in torque. if you are not familiar with Hemi Design check them out, they are very skilled, helpful and always available for technical questions.

at this time i also upgraded to a Daytona twintec programmable ignition. another great company in my opinion, mainly because of a gentleman by the name of Chris Schroeder, i received locally what turned out to be a module for a Sportster, apparently the only difference is the way the unit is grounded, so instead of waiting a week for a replacement from the supplier he told me what to do to make that unit work and it has performed flawlessly ever since. all of this i might add while he was in his truck on his way to bike week! you just don’t get service like that any more!

shortly after i purchased the bike from the original owner i replaced the 5 speed with a polished 6 speed. and added a Dakota Digital Speedometer.

the bike came with an in closed primary  belt drive, which broke no less than 3 times in 6 months so that was replaced with a BDL 3″ open primary this left the stock rear wheel belt drive as a weak link and I replaced that with a chain to eliminate any problems and allow for a 200MM tire upgrade (never done though)

the bike has approximatly 25,000 miles and 9,000 miles since the new top end/valve train modifications.

its running a stock avon gangster whitewalls

this bike is definitely all show and even more go! once and only once i made a couple pf passes (pre Hemi Design) @ the Chicago Land Dragstrip @ 105 MPH/12.125 seconds, not bad for a heavy bike with a 300 pound rider. stop light to stop light it has seldom been beaten, and even left some crotch rockets scratching their heads.

i have all of the manuals that came with the different parts and upgrades.

i hope i have not bored you with the details but she is a member of the family and needs to go to some one who will enjoy her as much as i have.

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This is from Bob Parson’s Blog, good advise and worth listening to!

1. Get and stay out of your comfort zone.
   I believe that not much happens of any significance when we’re in our comfort zone.  I hear people say, “But I’m concerned about security.”  My response to that is simple: “Security is for cadavers.”
2. Never give up.
   Almost nothing works the first time it’s attempted.  Just because what you’re doing does not seem to be working, doesn’t mean it won’t work.  It just means that it might not work the way you’re doing it.  If it was easy, everyone would be doing it, and you wouldn’t have an opportunity.
3. When you’re ready to quit, you’re closer than you think.
   There’s an old Chinese saying that I just love, and I believe it is so true.  It goes like this: “The temptation to quit will be greatest just before you are about to succeed.”
4. With regard to whatever worries you, not only accept the worst thing that could happen, but make it a point to quantify what the worst thing could be.
   Very seldom will the worst consequence be anywhere near as bad as a cloud of “undefined consequences.”  My father would tell me early on, when I was struggling and losing my shirt trying to get Parsons Technology going, “Well, Robert, if it doesn’t work, they can’t eat you.”
5. Focus on what you want to have happen.
   Remember that old saying, “As you think, so shall you be.”
6. Take things a day at a time.
   No matter how difficult your situation is, you can get through it if you don’t look too far into the future, and focus on the present moment.  You can get through anything one day at a time.
7. Always be moving forward.
   Never stop investing.  Never stop improving.  Never stop doing something new.  The moment you stop improving your organization, it starts to die.  Make it your goal to be better each and every day, in some small way.  Remember the Japanese concept of Kaizen.  Small daily improvements eventually result in huge advantages.
8. Be quick to decide.
   Remember what General George S. Patton said: “A good plan violently executed today is far and away better than a perfect plan tomorrow.”
9. Measure everything of significance.
   I swear this is true.  Anything that is measured and watched, improves.
10. Anything that is not managed will deteriorate.
    If you want to uncover problems you don’t know about, take a few moments and look closely at the areas you haven’t examined for a while.  I guarantee you problems will be there.
11. Pay attention to your competitors, but pay more attention to what you’re doing.
    When you look at your competitors, remember that everything looks perfect at a distance.Even the planet Earth, if you get far enough into space, looks like a peaceful place.
12. Never let anybody push you around.
    In our society, with our laws and even playing field, you have just as much right to what you’re doing as anyone else, provided that what you’re doing is legal.
13. Never expect life to be fair.
    Life isn’t fair.  You make your own breaks.  You’ll be doing good if the only meaning fair has to you, is something that you pay when you get on a bus (i.e., fare).
14. Solve your own problems.
    You’ll find that by coming up with your own solutions, you’ll develop a competitive edge.  Masura Ibuka, the co-founder of SONY, said it best: “You never succeed in technology, business, or anything by following the others.”  There’s also an old Asian saying that I remind myself of frequently.  It goes like this: “A wise man keeps his own counsel.”
15. Don’t take yourself too seriously.
    Lighten up.  Often, at least half of what we accomplish is due to luck.
    None of us are in control as much as we like to think we are.
16. There’s always a reason to smile.
    Find it.  After all, you’re really lucky just to be alive.  Life is short.  More and more, I agree with my little brother. He always reminds me: “We’re not here for a long time, we’re here for a good time!”

By Melissa Dittmann Tracey (From Realtor.com)

QUICK SKIM

The micro blogging site Twitter has generated plenty of buzz lately and all from the simple question: “What are you doing now?” Those who use the site have 140 characters or less to respond to the question. Members “follow” other members, and vice-versa, to stay up-to-date on what everyone is doing. Many real estate pros have jumped on the Twitter bandwagon, using it as a way to connect with clients. In the book Twitter Power (Wiley, 2009), authors Joel Comm and Ken Burge show how individuals and organizations can use it as a marketing tool and how such short “tweets” can even land new business. Buy The Book

FROM THE BOOK: 5 WAYS TO USE TWITTER FOR BUSINESS

When you use Twitter for business reasons, you want to “blend in” and make sure your messages don’t come across as blatant sales pitches, or you could face a backlash from followers, the authors write. Your goal for using Twitter should be to make your business stand out and turn your customers into a community.

“Your Twitter timeline is not a sales page,” Comm and Burge write. “Gripping headlines and hard call-to-actions on Twitter are more likely to drive people away than drive them to buy. Your Tweets need to be subtle. They have to build interest and trust. Only then will your followers feel that doing what you want them to do will be worth their while. ”

Here are five tips from the book on using Twitter for business.

1. Make yourself personable. You want your messages, or “tweets,” to be written in a laid-back tone that creates the impression that you’re chatting with others. “Businesses that tweet like a corporate executive addressing a board meeting will … scream that they have no idea what they’re doing—or who they’re talking to,” the authors write.

To help make your Twitter account more personable, use a photo or an icon that represents your business instead of your company’s logo as your Twitter image. For example, Southwest Airlines uses an image of its planes’ tail and the sky as its background; Comcast’s Twitter.com/comcastcares uses a human face and tweets in an informal, friendly tone.

2. Give your tweet the “who cares?” test. If you just repainted your office or grabbed a donut on your way to the kitchen, should you really tweet about it? You’ll read a lot of random thoughts from Twitterers, but if you’re using it to land new business, think before you tweet.

“News announcements that affect the reader are always going to be the most interesting,” the authors write. “The best way to handle news for branding, then, is to mix it in with other kinds of content and to add a personal comment so that it sounds like its coming from a real person, not from a company. ”

If you’re tweeting on behalf of a company, keep it human, but not too personal, the authors write. And if you’re tweeting on behalf of a personal brand, you might include random thoughts (e.g., the donuts on the way to the kitchen) but keep them limited and mix them in with helpful tweets.

3. Build a following. Once you’re using Twitter, of course, you’ll want others to be reading and responding to your messages. So how can you build a strong following? Simply, start following others. Reciprocal following is like good manners in the Twitter universe so those who you follow will likely start following you. Follow the major Twitterers and reply to their tweets with interesting, valuable information. Others will notice your comments and reciprocate.

4. Find who’s talking about you and your business. You might want to reply to others who appear to have an interest in your topic. Try using Twellow (the site allows you to find who’s talking about what in a field or topic) or use TweetBeep (to receive alerts for keywords you set). You might want to use these sites so you receive alerts for mentions of your business name, blog, Twitter name, or topics such as “real estate” or “short sales.”

5. Know your audience. Offer advice and solutions to Twitterers who pose questions or are struggling with something in your field of expertise. This also helps you build a core group of followers. If you have a real estate blog, you might want to use Twitter to provide quick notices about upcoming blog posts and what you’re working on. Include links to your blog or Web site where your followers can read more. Just watch out for linking overload: If you want to increase the odds that your followers will click on a link that you offer on Twitter, make sure to limit links in your tweets so they don’t suffer from click fatigue.

Try to tweet at least once a day—and ideally, more often that that—if you’re using it as a branding tool so you’ll build community and develop momentum, the authors suggest.

SNEAK PEEK

“What on Earth can you put in 140 characters that could possibly be worth reading? Surely you can’t promote products, build a brand, generate interest in your company, and keep people reading with such small amounts of content? The answers it turns out, are ‘a lot’ and ‘yes, you really can!’ Twitter has proven itself to be incredibly addictive and, for business owners, very valuable too.

“Ever since I stumbled onto Twitter, I’ve spent many hours thumb-typing messages. I do it frequently and I love it. It’s fantastic fun, like writing a personal blog but without the effort. The pleasure alone would be enough reason for me to recommend Twitter, but Twitter isn’t just good fun. It’s also proven to be a very important and easy way of finding new users and customers, a powerful networking tool, and an excellent way of picking up useful information.

“It ’s helped me to build deeper relationships with my partners, my clients, and other entrepreneurs. It’s extended the reach of my brand, making the name of my business known to people who might never otherwise have heard of it. It’s brought me advice and suggestions from experts I couldn’t have reached any other way. It brings me a steady stream of additional Web site users and provides a channel for me to alert people who have visited my sites when I’ve uploaded new content. And it’s brought me some fascinating reading and a bunch of wonderful new friends, too.”

Twitter Power: How to Dominate Your Market One Tweet at a Time

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Twitter guru Joel Comm (@joelcomm) is a speaker on Internet marketing and business. He is also the author of The AdSense Code (Morgan James Publishing, 2006) and Click Here to Order (Morgan James Publishing, 2008).

Co-author Ken Burge (@KenBurge) is president of InfoMedia Inc. and also an expert on online marketing. He is an eight-year veteran of Microsoft.