TWO ON ONE | Holly Zoba and Lance Fensterman Free-wheeling Web site keeps couple percolating

What do you like most about Warren?
Lance: You know people. People know you. You just sort of feel at home here.
What would you change?
Holly: The negativity. People don't appreciate what they have in Warren. If you haven't lived somewhere else, I'm not sure you'd see it.
What did you do before coming to Warren?
Holly: My plan was to go into the CIA. I majored in Soviet politics. I wanted to be a spy. I went through eight hours of tests. I was told I would be going to foreign countries where I'd make friends and have to manipulate those friendships. Ididn't think I could do that.
So then what?
Holly: I ended up working at a hotel for 15 years. At one time it was called the Guest Quarters in Alexandria (Va.). I started as a front desk clerk and worked my way up to become the corporate director of marketing and communications, where we were responsible for $80 million in sales. Now I pour coffee.
And you, Lance?
On a whim I moved to D.C. I had all this money saved up so I didn't have to work. Then it ran out.
Keep going.
Starbucks offered me a job, but I saw this help-wanted ad in the paper. When I applied I had to send a letter saying who my favorite late-night talk show host was. I wrote out this crazy letter and mailed it off.
Is that when you guys met?
Lance: In the second interview I met Holly.
Holly: I wanted someone with personality, and the human resources director said "You've got to read this letter."
What's something people don't know about you?
Lance: That I dropped out of high school and got a GED. I also used to be a puppeteer in Minneapolis, where I grew up.
Holly: I did a national television commercial for Chevrolet Spectrum. I also have a profile with the FBI. When I was in sales in the hotel business, my client was the Soviet Embassy, and every time I'd go visit them, the FBI would show up at my door and want to know what we talked about.
So what did you talk about?
Holly: Hotels. Actually, after perestroika, my main contact there was called a "cultural attach & eacute;," which generally means "spy." I asked him if he was a spy, and he laughed and said "It's my job to spread propaganda."
How did you guys make it to Warren?
Lance: When we decided to move here, we took three weeks and drove from D.C. to San Francisco. It was the best time of my life. I recommend everyone do it.
So Lance, you were born in Fargo. What goes on there?
It's actually a college town. Otherwise it's there because the railroad went through it. It's some of the flattest land in the country. But Roger Maris is from there, and you can gamble at the Holiday Inn. It was a stop on the road trip.
Tell me about your businesses.
Lance: North Perk was a running joke because we couldn't get a good latte anywhere in Warren. We looked at the space and the next thing we knew we owned a restaurant.
Holly: At Warren Pages, we do Web design and have a community Web site. Within that, we ... cover the local happenings in Warren.
So for all intents and purposes, you guys are reporters, right?
Holly: I guess so.
Lance: I thought I'd miss politics in D.C., but that place has nothing on politics here. This is such a politically minded community.
Your community forum has taken on a life of its own. People write whatever they want. Do you worry about being sued?
Lance: We do what we can to minimize our exposure. People write what they want and even though they don't like it, we reserve the right to edit.
Holly: You're fair game for professional criticism if you're an elected official.
How would you describe your partnership?
Lance: It's a good synergy. We both bring complementary but different talents to the arrangement.
Holly: I have a lot of real-life work experience, and he has the blue sky ideas. It's a nice balance, I think.
Are you guys in love?
Holly: We have a romantic partnership as well as a business partnership. I guess we just assume people know.