Well, I feel compelled to share this because I've received a bit of a bad rap over the last few years concerning my nickname. It seems that whenever people (nowadays) hear the word 'tramp', they can think of only one thing. "Tramp is NOT a dirty word. I've been a TrampDrafter for most of my adult life. I'm known as TrampDrafter all over the internet and have been since I left Tacoma Boatbuilding Company in 1981. Just for the fun of it, type "TrampDrafter" in your favorite web browser some time & see what pops up. Tramp can mean more than one thing, people. See the definitions below from MSN's online dictionary. Maybe it's not the best source, but it'll do for now. The word "Tramp" used to be more associated with "hobo" or "traveler" than "slut." I've always thought of myself as a Gypsy (Traveling) Designer although I will celebrate my 5th anniversary with Elliott Bay Design Group as an employee in October 2005. Mind you, that's after one year working as a TrampDrafter. The politically correct term is "Contract Engineer", although I am not an 'engineer'. Basically, that means the I've traveled extensively and worked on a lot of different projects at many different naval architecture/ marine engineering offices & shipyards. I'm not the only one, by the way. There are thousands of Gypsy (Traveling) Designers or TrampDrafters all over the world.

After many years of using the screen name or nickname TrampDrafter, I have started using the name PiNkPaNtHeR to cut down on the grief a little. Yes, I realize that there are capital letters mixed in there. Do you remember the ransom note for the dog in the original Pink Panther movie? I am a huge fan of Blake Edward's Pink Panther series starring Peter Sellers as Inspector Clouseau. There were a lot of other great stars in the movies like David Niven and Robert Wagner, but check it out for yourself. See Pink Panther.  I see that The Pink Panther is, once again, gaining a lot of popularity and Steve Martin is starring in a re-make soon to be released (coming sometime in 2005). Anyway, I can be easily reached at: PiNk_PaNtHeR@comcast.net, TrampDrafter@comcast.net, TrampDrafter@hotmail.com, TrampDrafter@msn.com, TrampDrafter@Yahoo.com, and TrampDrafter@Netscape.net.

Anyone remember 101 Dalmatians? Who was the male lead? His name was Tramp & he was a pretty nice guy. So next time you hear the word 'tramp', please think of this. Some of the people nearest and dearest to me call me Tramp and I kinda like it.

One last thing....here are a couple of links to what is known as "Tramp" art. Check it out - I think you'll like it:

http://www.tramp-art.com

http://www.worldpath.net/~minstrel/Hobolink.htm

 

 

tramp [tramp ] noun (plural tramps)

1.  vagrant:  somebody who has no home and travels on foot, often begging for a living
 

 

2.  offensive term:  an offensive term that deliberately insults a woman who is considered sexually promiscuous or who works as a prostitute
 

 

3.  sound of feet:  the sound of heavy footsteps or horses' hooves
 

 

4.  U.K. long journey on foot:  a long journey on foot, for example, as part of a walking tour
 

 

5.  heavy step:  a heavy step or tread
 

 

6.  NAUTICAL See tramp steamer
 

 

7.  metal plate on boot:  a metal plate that protects the sole of a boot when the wearer is digging
 

 

8.  GARDENING part of spade for foot:  the part of a spade on which the digger's foot presses
 

 

 

[14th century. From Middle Low German trampen "to stamp." Ultimately from a prehistoric Germanic word that is also the ancestor of English  tramp. The noun is first recorded in the mid-17th century.]

tramp·er noun
tramp·ing noun
tramp·ish adjective

 

drafts·per·son [dráfts pùrs'n ] (plural drafts·per·sons) noun
draftsman or draftswoman:  somebody who makes detailed drawings for buildings, ships, aircraft, or machines before they are built.  This job is now done mainly by computer-aided design.  Also called drafter