I've been listening to the conference call today between Starbucks and analysts, and one thing CEO Howard Schultz mentioned struck a chord.

He said he'd been spending time at Town Hall meetings with customers. He talked about "the meaning we have in peoples' lives across America."

OK, it's your turn. Is Starbucks simply a place to buy coffee (or tea, a cookie, a sandwich) or is it somewhere that actually has meaning in the lives of Americans?

Does Starbucks have meaning in your life? What is that meaning?

Please comment.

I'm working on a story about finding a job in this tough economic climate.

Are you looking for work? For how long? What has that been like?

Or are you unemployed and have you stopped looking for work? Why?

And employers, are you hiring but not finding what you need?

E-mail me at kathleen.cooper@thenewstribune.com by the end of the day with your story. Please include your full name, your hometown and a daytime phone number for possible follow-up questions.

Eighty-seven percent of you voted Wednesday to strike. Eighty percent said "no" to Boeing's "best and final offer."

But a strike's now on hold until Friday midnight while the Machinists Union and Boeing go back to the bargaining table.

What changes in Boeing's last offer would make you vote "yes" on a new deal?

Here are some items union members mentioned to me at Wednesday night's vote-count rally:

Takeaways: Higher co-pays and larger out-of-pocket limits for medical care seemed to be sticking points for some members. They told me those higher costs were eating up any wage increases they would get under the new contract.

Pension: Boeing upped the pension formula to $80 a month per year of service, but some union loyalists pointed out that management's formula is far higher. What number would make you happy?

Wages: The failure to incorporate the 40-cent-an-hour cost-of-living increase for May, June and July struck some union voters as cheap on Boeing's part. They seemed less concerned about the general wage increase except among the lower wage employees whose wage progression, they said, is too slow.

Job security: I heard this repeatedly: "What good are good wages if you don't have a job?" What kind of job security or outsourcing items concern you?

Signing bonus: Boeing offered $2,500 each for an approval Wednesday. Do you expect a similar or larger bonus for approving a new contract next week?

Other issues?

Some of those who've commented on our previous blogs suggest that if the union demands too much the next new plane program, either a successor to the 737 or the 777, will go to another state where unions hold less power.

Are you concerned that asking too much could eventually doom your Puget Sound area jobs?

With food prices escalating over the past year, I'm looking for a few good bargain shoppers.

Specifically I'm working on a story about surplus, salvage and discount grocery stores, what they carry, how they work and the deals the shoppers find there.

Do you shop at Grocery Outlet or a similar store? Or are you finding ways to cut back on your grocery bill?

I'd love to interview you about where and how you shop for food.

E-mail me at kelly.kearsley@thenewstribune.com or call 253-597-8573.

Robert Serling, brother of famed "Twilight Zone" author and narrator Rod Serling, this month is publishing a history of SeaTac's Alaska Airlines.

The book, "Character & Characters: The Spirit of Alaska Airlines," chronicles Alaska's 75-plus years of growth.

"Alaska is an airline built from humble beginnings in 1932 by a cast of always dedicated, sometimes quirky and often brilliant characters," said Serling. "For more than 75 years, it has been an airline that has defied all odds. It has proven to be as rugged, as rich in tradition and as resourceful as its namesake state."

Serling has written more than two dozen books, most of them about aviation. Among them are histories of Eastern, Western, TWA, Continental and American airlines.

The book will be available on-line and in bookstores beginning June 15.

Right here at the newspaper in almost-April, there's big, fluffy snowflakes falling outside the newsroom window.

The uncanniness of springtime snow is making it hard to concentrate.

So I thought I'd ask: How's the wild weather affecting your workday or business? Headed home early? Worried about roads? Daydreaming about Christmas trees and warm mugs of cocoa?

Is your budget being squeezed with the rising cost of milk, bread and gas? Are you making choices about what to buy and passing on extra items?

We want to hear from you. C.R. posted a story this morning about inflation here in Pierce County and surrounding areas.

It said that overall inflation was up but grocery prices are down.

This weekend I paid more than $50 to fill up my wagon, the first time I had topped that mark. And while grocery shopping, I found that many of the items I buy weekly were up 20 to 40 cents. The energy bars I buy for my kids were 69 cents each instead of the 49 cents I paid a few weeks ago.

How are rising prices affecting you?