Parting shots: Ingrid Anderson

This column is for those of you who like to catch mistakes in The Daily. I know you're out there. Every once in a while you write a letter to the editor about the difference between "e.g." and "i.e."

I invite you to become copy editors. The sticks up your asses and the pathetic fact that you care about grammar make you perfect candidates for the job. But I'm here to show you it's not all fun and games. Here are some real mistakes made by real Daily writers and caught by real Daily copy editors:

"Admission is free with valid student idea." ("Idea monitors" provided.)

"After getting an uncertain vibe from the couches during practice, Mike wanders into the locker room ..." (Couches always make me feel uneasy too.)

"The gazer walks around with her eyeballs in her socks." (Oh, the anatomy lessons learned at The Daily)

"I've wrote at length in previous articles about how technology ..." (Apparently, this person shouldn't be "wroting" again.)

"Annie Long serves the main entre of the night, boned chicken was porously chosen." (I don't even know where to start with this one.)

"As the number-one producer of apples in the nation, Louisa's sister came to Washington ..." (Damn, Louisa's sister is productive.)

"After figuring out how to control my seed while coasting downhill ..." (Memo to Daily writers -- keep your seed under control. Please.)

While it may seem the overwhelming satisfaction of catching these errors would be the highlight of your job, I have found that the people I worked with -- Morgan, Alex, Hilary, Abe, Anthony, Priya and Erin -- ultimately determined my level of happiness. They were the keepers of my sanity and became good friends.

So the next time you feel a little superior because you caught a valid student idea, remember that the most important quality of a copy editor is the ability to be continuously humbled. It's easy to feel omnipotent behind your own red pen and equally easy to feel inept because of someone else's.