Any of you other Tragesers know well the joy of having an unusual surname. The first day of class each school year could be murder, wondering how the teacher would butcher Trageser this year (and wondering why she never had problems with Wojowiecz or Stepnaski).

And of course, the butchering of our name doesn't stop after we graduate — which can be a good thing at times; pretty easy to tell the sales phone call when they stumble over your name.

Through the years, I've been collecting mail I've received at work with my name misspelled. Started off with a half-dozen on a single day (newspaper editors, my gig for 15 years, get a lot of mail), and it's been growing ever since.

Displayed below are great variety and indeed imagination; what's really pathetic are the folks who got my first name wrong. (My favorite in that category would have to be the Hendrix-esque "Jimi.")

Don't let this be a solo act — both Dawn Trageser and Lee Trageser have contributed, I'm sure the rest of you have horror stories of your own to share — e-mail them in!

And so, in all its glory, my collection of Trageser misspelled:

• Jim Cragesen
• Jim Crageser
• Jim Drageser
• Jim Frogeser (contributed by Terri Trageser – whose father is also a Jim Trageser!)
• James M. Grageser (from Microsoft!)
• Jim Gratrabesur (oh my)
• Jim Prageser (from someone wanting me to publish his article ...)
• Jim Tagescs (from a company wanting me to review their record)
• Jim Targeser
• Jim Tergeser (two different folks had this one)
• Mr. L. Titeser (contributed by Lee Trageser, after he sent away to a vacation company requesting a brochure)
• Jim Trackisaro (the Italian side of the family, perhaps?)
• Jim Traeger (from the world-famous Golden Door spa)
• Jim Traegerser (from one of my regular columnists, too ...)
• Jim Traegesar
• Jim Traegeser
• Jim Trafeser
• Jim Tragaser
• Jim Tragesher (also contributed by Terri Trageser on behalf of her father)
• Jim Tragasier
• Jim Tragasser
• Jim Tragather
• Jim Trageaser
• Jim Tragefer (three different folks on this one!)
• Jim Trager
• Tragerse Family
• Jim Tragerser
• Jim Tragerson
• Jim Tragerster
• Jim Tragesar
• Jim Tragese
• Jim Tragesel (from someone trying to sell me cartoons)
• Jim Jim Trageser (kind of a Southern thing, I s'pose ...)
• Jimi Trageser
• Tim Trageser
• Jim Trageset
• Jim Tragesev (dah, comrade ...)
• Jim Tragesher
• Mr. Jim Tragesi
• Jim Tragesor
• Jim Tragesser
• Jim Tragester
• Jim Trageter (from millionaire Senate candidate Michael Huffington, asking me for money!)
• Jim Tragether
• James Traggasor
• Jim Traggeres
• Jim Traggeser
• Jum Traggeser
• Jim Traghesser (from another of my regular columnists ...)
• Jim Tragis
• Jim Traglser
• Jim Tragneser
• James M. Tragoser
• Mr. Jim Tragreser
• Jim Tragrsar
• Jim Tragser
• Jim Tragsfer
• Jim Traguser
• Jim Trangessar
• Mr. John Trasder
• Jim Trasger
• Jim Trateser
• Jim Travester
• Jim Travestor
• Trazear (from fellow Trageser Dawn, who wrote that a teacher once came up with that one!)
• Jim Tregeser
• Jim Treggessor
• Jim Trigesero
(from a publicist wanting me to profile an author)
• Jim Triggruber (from a band wanting their CD reviewed. Oy ...)
• Jim Trodeser
• Jim Trogeser (from the employee phone list at the San Diego Union-Tribune! At least it was spelled correctly on my paycheck ...)

This page created on an Atari Falcon030 using the Edith desktop text editress, also available for Mac OSX, Linux, Solaris, SGI and, if you must, Windows XP.