I have a disclosure to make: “Ace” is not my full name. It's actually “Ace Randy Gal.” I have, however, been known to answer to “Carnage Lady.” And occasionally to “Calendar Gay.”

These monikers are the result of a boring afternoon at work coupled with the The Internet Anagram Server. Put a bunch of word nerds in the same room as an anagram server, and you've got yourself a party! That was eight years or so ago. “Ace” stuck, and the anagram server (plus the less labor-intensive Anagram Genius Server) get revisited from time to time. Recently, I spent some time procrastinating with the servers and had a blast. Because I'm that big a geek. And because I really didn't want to do my work.

I learned that one of my friends is an “Arch Lesbian.” And that an AfterEllen.com staffer could be an “Old Animal.” And that there are no good anagrams for my girlfriend's name. (However, one version of our dog's name comes out to “Destroyer and Might,” which I think he likes.)

But on the celebrity front, the possibilities abound. (For the record, all of the following anagrams come from the Internet Anagram Server, the Anagram Genius Server or the Anagram Genius Archive.)

I began with The L Word, just because.

Kate Moennig, appropriately, is “Token Enigma.” And Erin Daniels is “Ideal Sinner.” (I'm sure my girlfriend thinks so, anyway.) And Jenny Schecter is “Insufferable, dog-killing wack job.” (But that's just commentary, not an anagram.) Mia Kirshner is “Shinier Mark” (but if you misspell “Kirshner” as “Kirschner,” you get “Manic Shirker”!) Jenny Schecter + Sounder = “Jesus! Northern Decency.” Daniela Sea is “A sane ideal.” And, for the record, Bette Porter + Tina Kennard = “Broke, penitent retardant.” … continue reading

Thursday will see a first for women in golf when Scotland's St. Andrews hosts the Women's British Open, the first professional women's tournament ever held on its grounds, with a record-breaking prize of £1,050,000. For those of you who (like me, to be honest) don't know a whole lot about the professional golf circuit, here's a fact: St. Andrews is one of the most revered and famous golf courses in the world, and the men have played 22 Opens there. To put the occasion in perspective, consider Annika Sorenstam's memory of the St. Andrews Royal and Ancient Golf Club's headquarters nearly 20 years ago:

"When I played there as an amateur, there was a sign out there that says, 'No dogs or women allowed.'"

Wow. I could deconstruct the gender bias of this until the weekend. Instead, I'll just post a picture of Sorenstam.

Sorenstam, Michelle Wie, Paula Creamer, Se Ri Pak, Sherri Steinhauer, Ai Miyazato and others will take the field August 2–5. (Er, that may be a baseball metaphor. But you know what I mean.) Here's a glimpse of Miyazato practicing earlier this week on the infamously tricky Old Course. … continue reading

I love the U.S. Women’s Open golf championship, even more than I love the Kraft Nabisco Championship (the golf tournament part of the Dinah Shore weekend). I can actually focus on the golf, and not be so distracted by the parties.

Annika Sorenstam, who currently has 69 tournament wins, is the defending champion.

For years, I joked that I wanted to become an LPGA housewife. It seemed exciting. Your girlfriend marches around the golf course, kicking butt, and you get to be by her side. But, as Rosie Jones’ girlfriend reveals, it’s not all fun and games.

Plus, the women that I know who have LPGA player girlfriends are usually at home bored while their girlfriends are gone for months at a time, out on tour. Or they're stuck out on the course, carrying a 45-plus-pound golf bag, making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches between breaks. … continue reading