The New Venture

I've started my own company, Lacuna Strategy LLC. I've been doing a lot of marketing consulting lately and I thought that I should incorporate as to take advantage of some tax benefits. It has been very exhilerating so far and I look forward to doing things like business cards, website, branding, and sales.


Here are a couple of current logos that I am working on. By way of explanation- Lacuna is Latin for "gap". My services bridge the gap between what customers currently do in terms of marketing and what they can accomplish with the right strategic guidance. (Triangle 1= Company wit

h smallish performance, Triangle 2=The company as it would want to be, The Line= the solutions provided by Lacuna)

Disregard the colors, they are showing up wrong. It should be Navy Blue and Gold.

Wedding Links

Enjoy some photos from the wedding. They can be viewed from the following links.

http://www.pictage.com/448096

Sorry that you have to put up with that gnarly registration process.

The new gold rush

Our recent trip to Europe highlighted one thing. The dollar sucks. It becomes less abstract and more real when you have to shell out $80 for a very average pasta dinner. Since most major commodities are sold in dollars it also means that things like gas and gold become that much more expensive.
The press has caught on and I recently watched some special on the local news about "Gold parties" where people gather together and hawk their old jewelry for cash. With a recession looming, with Gold prices at $1,000/ounce and Platinum at $2,000/ounce this has created somewhat of another gold rush. The big difference being that instead of combing the foothills above Sutters Mill we are all secretly scouring through our spouses jewelry in search of that pair of earrings that they really didn't like.
I took an old platinum/gold ring and decided to play the game....daddy needed a new blazer from Banana Republic. I took my act over to a local jewelry/hobby store in the area. The type of place that smelt of many years and poor taste. The trip was memorable.
I was greeted by a large cage. I buzzed in the door and entered the cage. From there someone on the inside buzzed me through the next door. The place was a veritable low budget fortress with bars and security cameras protecting the small cache of 18th Century coins, baseball cards, and tasteless jewelry. It was also exceptionally crowded and I was given a number to wait my turn. I perused the collection of old European coins and eavesdropped in on some conversations.
To my left was an elderly lady with a shoebox. She poured it out in front of the store owner who was wearing loupe and trying to find value in her dusty treasure trove. She went through each piece and after explaining its history (things like 'this was given to me by an ex-husband after I discovered that had been cheating on me') passed it on to the owner. He examined it for a few seconds, weighed it, and then pulled out his calculator to determine what he would offer. This followed with each piece. She ended up walking away with $400 for troubles and probably took her new wad of cash directly over to the nearest bingo table.
I observed this event with a few other people. I saw a kid and a mom, probably amateur coin collectors, try to trade some coins. I saw a middle aged man and his watch. It was all quite interesting.
Finally my turn arrived. My situation was a little more complicated because he also had to calculate how much platinum was involved. He gave me a fair quote but I decided that I would get a second quote elsewhere or at least to try and sell it directly without a middle man. I went home and got one of those free "gold kits" you see on TV and am using that route to squeeze an extra $100 out of the ring.
The whole experience was quite interesting. I was able to see how inventive and desperate people can be when it comes to making ends meet. I was also able to witness how broad economic happenings can affect live on 'main street.'

Italian Impressions Version 1

We will spend the next couple of entries recapping some of the highlights, memories, and key learnings from the Italian trip.

Rome at first glance

Rome is akin to Janus. You have to deal with both faces. There is much to love and there is much to hate. We enjoyed our stay by coming to grips with the good and the bad.

Some of the good:

• Rome is steeped in 3,000 years of history. You can find it on every corner.
• Rome has all of the requisite romantic stops (Trevi, Spanish Steps, etc...) that make it appealing to couples.
• Rome has a definite vibe and pulse. While it can be overwhelming to some, it is worth experiencing.
• Food and dining is an integral part of Roman living.
• Clothing and style is also an essential part of the Roman experience. Savor the 3 Euro ties.
• The popes commissioned and stole some pretty good art over the centuries. Take advantage of this and visit the myriad locations.
• Experienced with an insider or with inside knowledge and the very best of Rome can be experienced. You will avoid the traps designed to suck money and experience the places that get the seal of approval and patronage of the local populace.

Some of the bad:

• Everything has a price. The Vactican for 2? About $40. A drink of water? Try 3 Euro.
• The price is exponentially more steep for the unwitting tourist. There are many traps waiting to spring on a couple of unsuspecting sight seers from Yonkers. You can easily spend $50 for a horrible pasta dinner if you go to the wrong place.
• The constant crowds can be grating. We went during the low season and we still felt the body heat. We broke our Rome stay by taking a couple of excursions. This made things a little less overwhelming.
• The damn dollar. It was a deflating experience to check the internet everyday and discover that your greenback got you less and less.

Italy Highlights

The next few entries will probably contain highlights from our recent Italian excursion. So pull up a cup of Gelato and enjoy.

In the meantime click on the following link to view some pictures.

The Roman Jensens

Pre wedding Highlights

Day 1 activities:

-Camelback Hike

-18 Holes of Golf (Thanks Bott)

-Rehearsal Dinner @Monti's.

Four days before our wedding trip to Rome and we get this news; what's up with that?


The Dollar sinks to new low

Hope the Rotary Club doesn't get this photo...

It's a good thing Bruce isn't a politician. I think a similar photo allegedly ended the career of Dan Quayle. Should I embarrassed? I'm glad to see that my dad can have a good time on the streets of Buenos Aires.

The endless possibilities of Europe

Planning a 10 day trip to Rome and Italy is no easy task. The task begins easily with the standards- Coliseum, Sistine, Spanish Steps, Uffizi, Academia, and Roman Forum. But things get very difficult very quickly as you begin to sift through 2,500 years of varied and very interesting sites of historical interest. Here in Phoenix we make a big deal out of a building that is 100 years old. There a building designed by Michelangelo and housing paintings from Botticelli is just one of the many sites vying for your interest.

Case in point. Just when I thought we had the Florence leg of our trip under control a friend mentioned the Medici Chapel, particularly the basement. It was in that basement that Michelangelo hid from the Medici’s for 6 weeks. During that stay he spent his time sketching on the basement walls. These drawings were discovered in the 1970’s and can now be arranged to be seen. Just one more thing that is off the beaten path but that is very worthwhile.


Read here for more on our buddy Michelangelo

The Magical Magnetic Memories of Music

Music has an uncanny ability to define the emotion of a moment. I imagine that everyone has a certain list of songs that, when heard, can replay a specific memory down to the last detail. Some songs are very difficult to hear because of their ability to bring back the feelings of a moment that is long since passed and not to be recaptured. Other songs bring back a flood of happy thoughts. While still others do absolutely nothing and are not tethered to any part of memory. Here are a few:

1. Beatles, Lovely Rita- It is high school and we are feverishly trying to make the most of our car free moments. Our musical tastes are also expanding exponentially. The Beatles would provide the sound track to many memories during this era. On one such Saturday afternoon I am in Salt Lake with the Botts, Pete, and Norm. We are out and about in the Bott's old beat up 1984 Civic. I can still remember the distinct smell of syrup in that car; remnants from all of those late drives to school when breakfast was on the run. We are just returning from "Babe Hollow", a stones throw from the Patagonia outlet. Our latest attempt at meeting girls has failed. Undaunted we proceed up 13th East to the Spaghetti Factory, our Salt Lake meal of choice. With pungent melodies of "Lovely Rita" blaring through those little speakers we proceed to drive up and the steep streets of east Salt Lake looking for adventure.


2. The Samples, Everytime- I was out on my mission, probably 3 or 4 months. I was still homesick and getting acclimated to my new life. We were visiting a family. During the visit one of the kids was watching MTV in the other room, just loud enough that we could hear. Then out of nowwhere come the familar strains of the Everytime. It has a somber tone and I immediately become sad and somewhat homesick. The Samples represented all of the memories and friends of my recent past.


3. First Time, U2- The summer of 1993 and I was in the throes of my first certified crush, Nikki Francis. U2 had just released Zooropa and I couldn't get enough. Every night before I would go to bed I would turn off the lights and listen to that song 4-5 times all the while thinking of my hopeless crush.


4. Stand, REM- I was in the 9th grade and eager to explore music. We were taking a family trip to California and I had just received my latest batch of music from BMG. I was very much looking forward to REM, Green. I had loved Out of Time so much that I was eager to get to the rest of the catalog. I remember being on the "bumpy road" between Barstow and Simi Valley and listening to that entire album, particularly Stand.


5. Walking after you, Foo Fighters- I am living in Mexico, very much isolated from my normal world. I have recently purchased the Foo Fighters album based on the fact that I liked one of their songs on the X-Files soundtrack. Every Sunday afternoon after church I would take a Sunday stroll through the streets and activity of Los Mochis. I would always have a pen and paper in hand and I would always have my walkman in tow. I really discovered that song on my Sunday walks.

I could literally go on and on. I have so many songs that are indelibly tied to a moment or period in time of my life. What are some of yours?

Every Rockville trip was always full of Billy Joel and REM.

Managing the Market

So I follow a daily routine that I’m sure many Americans take part in. During a brief moment at work I will peruse a couple of sports sites and then check and see how the stock market is performing. The market will naturally be up or down and there will always be a headline that seeks to simplify the entire movement of the market into one event.
Now I’m all about executive summaries and cutting to the chase but I have a hard time believing that all of the hundreds and thousands of independent decisions made regarding individually unique companies and industries can roll up into a nice one sentence headline day in and day out.
Now I’m willing to concede that big macro decisions like rate cuts or jobs reports might create ripples throughout the entire market. I’m also the first to tell you that I am not anything of an expert and that I probably don’t fully understand the weight that huge financial institutions carry when they make decisions that are a hundred times more impactful than the decision of Joe Smith living on 123 Anywhere Street to buy a few extra shares of GE.
But c’mon. Every day the performance of the market is tied together with a neat and brief summary like the one mentioned above. “Market rebounds after strong employment report”, “Overseas trading down, market plunges”, “Chairman Bernanke’s daughter has Bat Mitzvah, Market celebrates by gaining 300 points.”

Saturday afternoon

I'm currently at the library doing some consulting work. But the task is becoming too difficult as I'm listening to the Funeral of the Prophet over the internet.

(Kind of how I feel right now)

Farewell to "our" Prophet

With the recent passing of President Gordon B. Hinckley I began to take stock of the role that his example has played in my life. One of my friends said that President Hinckley meant so much to him because he was the prophet during the period in his life when his testimony came of age and began to mean something to him. I have to completely agree with that. He has been the prophet during just about every milestone in my life. He will be sorely missed.

So I’ve begun the process of looking through old journals and conference talks, highlighting certain themes that have resonated with me through my various journeys and struggles. Above all there is one moment that stands out in my life. The time that he made a surprise visit to my mission.

I had been out for about a year. We were notified that Elder Holland was going to make a visit to one of the cities in the mission and speak. For several weeks we made an effort to publicize the event and organize caravans to the sort of distant town of Edinburg, some 5 hours away. To be honest I remember that the response to the invitation was somewhat tepid. It seemed like a long way for people to be driving. After much effort we were able to get 3 or 4 buses prepared for the journey. I remember being somewhat disappointed that we couldn’t get many people signed up for the trip. I also remember being very excited to hear an apostle in my remote part of the vineyard and for the chance to run into a few mission buddies.

The weekend of the event arrived. The missionaries left early so that we could attend a special training session with Elder Holland and Busche that Saturday night. The ride down almost felt like a road trip. A bunch of young men working to suppress the world and focus on missionary work. Soon enough the conversation drifted towards girls, life back home, and other conversations from a distant world that we no longer belonged to. There was almost a feeling of spring break amongst us; a brief respite from our hard efforts.

We arrived in McAllen late that afternoon and were quickly shuttled off to the nearest Stake Center for training. I’m sure that our leaders were somewhat frustrated because we were so eager to renew old acquaintances rather then to learn. Quickly gossip started to spread that the Prophet was going to be present for the big speech in the morning. I quickly dismissed the gossip because it was coming from the same Elders who gossiped about everything and anything. The leaders soon got a hold of the situation and we were caroled into the meeting room.

As soon as we sat down something changed. I remember feeling a palpable and tangible energy. It was a buzz that caused my heart to speed up and hair to stand on end. The rumors of a visit from President Hinckley persisted….but now they seemed real. We began to sing hymns in anticipation of the arrival of Elder Holland. We probably sang 10 hymns in a row. It didn’t matter because all of us felt this incredible energy.

And then all of the sudden we caught a glimpse of an old familiar face entering in through a back door. Without hesitation we stood up and sang in unison, “We Thank Thee o God for A Prophet”. I have never sung with that much emotion or conviction. I couldn’t help but weep with joy. I looked around and everyone else was in the same exuberant emotional state that I was as well.

He took to the podium and called the meeting to order. The first thing that he wanted to do was to meet us all in person. For the next 20 or so minutes we all walked outside into the foyer and were able to shake his hand and say hello. It was an absolutely incredible experience.

The evening carried on and I was completely enveloped by his presence. I don’t remember exactly what he said or what doctrine he shared. I know that he offered some kind words of encouragement. He could have been speaking about Kolob for all I cared. It was the feeling that I will remember. It was on that night that my testimony of living Prophets became cemented.

I have heard him speak several times and even interacted with him on a couple of occasions but nothing will ever come close to that evening while I was a missionary. I have never felt feelings like that with that kind of intensity ever since.

I don’t laud or admire President Hinckley just because he wore the mantel of Prophet. His character alone demands adulation irregardless of his standing within the church. He was so approachable, so wise, and so kind, so giving. In short he was the kind of person that you would, without hesitation, be proud to associate yourself with. He was my Prophet in the very same way that he was your Prophet. It seemed like we all had a personal relationship with President Gordon B Hinckley.

Revised Song

This is a song that I posted awhile ago but was still rough. I like version better but there are still a couple of issues. I had three guitars layered and there are spots in which they don't synch. I think that all of the guitars might detract a little bit from the bleak mood that the song is trying to evoke.

Click here to watch 'I-had-a-dream-and-it-wouldnt-end-17'

What's your carbon footprint?

I'm currently doing some consulting work that has me evaluating the viability of certain solutions that can assist corporations in becoming more "green". Among those is the much ballyhooed solution called "telepresence" that is being trumpeted by Cisco and HP. Both of these companies, duly noted, are both actively selling their solutions to companies willing to spend millions of dollars for super nice video conferencing capabilities.

Anyways, I have read a number of articles discussing green initiatives such as "carbon footprint" reduction. And the more I read the more I come to the following conclusions:

• Generally speaking, everyone supports and is behind green initiatives. It's a very popular talking point for progressive companies.
• Specifically speaking, very few companies make decisions with the environment as their principle concern. But when action that impacts the environment is taken it is primarily for issues pertaining to the bottom line such as cost reduction.

This leads me to believe that the free market not altruist ideas will drive the next rounds of environmental changes. Companies will issue less plane tickets and replace them with teleconferencing not because of their desire to see a greener planet but rather their desire to keep their jobs by maintaining a healthy bottom line. The fact that these kinds of "business driven" activities benefit the environment just allows companies one more arrow in their public relations quiver to help expound their high levels of corporate responsibility to the consumer.

I definitely don't begrudge capitalism, in fact I actively participate it. I also don't begrudge environmentalist, in fact I try to do my part to help out. I'm just glad to observe a situation like this were we see that both interests can be served.

How 'bout dem Cowboys?

Well the bottom quickly fell off the good ship Cowboys this past week. I'm still coming to grips with the fact that the season is over and all I have to look forward to now is asking "what if" and analyzing stats of obscure players for the upcoming draft.

For some reason the Cowboys have been plagued with a couple of criticle weaknesses these past few years. These weaknesses have not been covered up by the superior atheletes on the team. They were present under the highly controlled and strict Parcells regime and they were also evident under the laid back leadership of Wade Phillips. In my humble opinion, the Cowboys won't be able to step into the football Pantheon that the Patriots are currently hanging out in until these are corrected.

1) Penalties- In the two biggest loses of the year (Patriots and Giants) the Boys had multiple drives killed by penalities, particularly holding or offsides. This forced the Cowboys into 3rd and long situations that limited play calling. We have a very powerful line but we need to play as a complete unit. Hats off to the Patriots because they do.

2) Discipline- This one stems from the coach I believe. This is the other sucky edge of the sword that gave Phillips and the Boys their early success. They were loose and won during the early going. But come December and playoff time they didn't have the discipline to ratchet up the intensity. As a result we had costly penalties (think Davis mauling Ominura during Giants game) There aren't enough strong personalities in the locker room to keep players in check and keep them from being complacent. Once again the Patriots are successful largely because they are the most disciplined bunch of the lot.

3) Distraction- Holywood starlets, stupid comments by players, etc....These things distract players and create posterboard materials for the opposition. Take a lot at the damn Patriots. Their benign and politically correct statements give nothing to their opponents to use. Everything is kept in house and you never hear discussion about the Brazilian bombshells that Brady is dating.

4) Defensive Secondary- This one is more on the schemes employed. The Cowboys high pressure pass rush dictates that CB's play in tight man to man or bump coverage. This prevents the QB from dropping the ball off to his hot receiver. But for some reason the Cowboys played with a big enough cushion that would make the princess and the pea jealous. We were too worried about giving up the deep ball that we let teams nickel and dime us with the short pass. This is a huge concern and it needs to be addressed in the draft.

All in all we are so close. It will be difficult to replicate a 13-3 season but we have the talent to pull it off. We need to take care of the intangibles. These are the things that seperate the champions from the chumps. These are the reasons why the Patriots are what they are.

One more mystery. Why didn't the Cowboys get TO involved in the 2nd Half? The Giants secondary was completely depleted and ripe for the picking.

Engagement Photos....You Decide

Over the Christmas break my sister kindly shot some Engagement photos for us. Several forced smiles and a long afternoon later we wound up with about 100 great shots of us.

The problem is that we are now having a hard time deciding on which photo to select. Here are some finalists...what say ye?

U2 with a sense of humor?

I always thought that U2 didn't introduce irony and humor into their act until the Zoo TV tour. This little gem from 1987 at least proved that the young U2 tried.




Speaking of a sense of humor. U2 letting Axl Rose peform with them. Now that's funny.

The thrill of the chase

Back in November we decided on Rome for our honeymoon. But those well intentioned thoughts quickly hit a brick wall with the realization that the dollar is as weak as Estelle Getty on a 3 day fast and international flight costs that go into the thousands of dollars. Undaunted and without a skymile to my name I ploughed forward. Our quest to spend our honeymoon in the company of Popes, Ceasars, and Gypsies was to be an uphill battle.

I've literally spent the last 3 months poring over countless travel search engines. I've looked at every possible scenario and every viable date. Some of the interesting insights:

• Affordable travel to Europe, particularly Rome, needs to be done in March at the latest. Between April and September the prices go up around 50%. These high prices carry on through Labor Day.


• Consider traveling to another cheaper city in Europe and then using a cheap regional carrier like Ryannair. In our case we will be flying through Frankfurt. Can you say Schznitzel?


• The best site for international travel that we found was http://www.vayama.com/. Easy to use, straight forward, transparent, and legitimate.

All in all we came away with two tickets to Rome for under a grand. My patience and perservanace paid off. That is quite a feat in this day and age of increase fuel taxes and ever increasing airline fees.

With this big initial road block out of our way we can now focus our attentions to Gelato, Trevi, David, and St Peter.

You don't get this in Iowa

Why do I quite enjoy the 11 hour drive from Phoenix to Salt Lake City? Sites like this, my friend, sites like this.