Writer and star of the Broadway musical In the Heights, Lin-Manuel Miranda performs “The Hamilton Mixtape” at the White House Evening of Poetry, Music, and the Spoken Word on May 12, 2009. Accompanied by Alex Lacamoire.

And it’s full of geeky goodness (and some mild adult language).

I am officially revising. This means I officially have writers brain. So I bring you this to entertain you this Monday morning.

Star Wars geeks and Gilbert and Sullivan nerds unite! I’m serious. It’s like chocolate and peanut butter. They just go together. Todd (from Geek Girl’s Guide) gives it a big thumbs up.

Twenty years ago this week, the Berlin Wall fell. And back in the day (this would be way back in the day), I worked in V Corps Intelligence in Frankfurt, Germany. It was my first job in the Army and in addition to being the assistant officer in charge of my section (a weighty responsibility), I worked as an intelligence analyst.

I was the main analyst for the First Guards Tank Army (those pesky Soviets) and Soviet Command, Control, and Communication.

Now, C3 covers what you might think it covers. It was also the catchall for what can only be described as “miscellaneous stuff” – the sort of thing no one knew how to categorize.

And … you guessed it. This is where all the intelligence traffic about what was happening in East Germany ended up: in my inbox.

So, before the world knew, I knew. Well, me and many other intelligence organizations, including the three-letter ones.

November was always so dark in Germany. I went to work before the sun came up and I left work after it went down. I worked in a secured facility, no windows, so if I wanted to see the sun, I had to check out, go through a series of doors, and so on.

I grew so pale, my friends accused me of being a vampire (and, dude, this was way before Twilight).

But I remember that November. I remember how I couldn’t wait to get into work so I could see what had come in over the wire over night. I’d grab a German coffee from the snack bar, the stack from my inbox, and read. And I remember thinking:

Wow. Something is happening in East Germany.

A few months later, I had the opportunity to venture into East Germany. But that’s a post for another day.

For today, it’s good to be reminded that people can come together, and the seemingly impossible can happen. And I’m reminded that, in the long run, it’s more rewarding to be an idealist than a cynic.

Know hope. And listen:

The Debs are everywhere this holiday season!

As you can see, Darcy is working overtime on December 5th in Chicago. I guess I will be too, since I’ll be signing–and volunteering–at the fundraising book fair for Andrew’s Jr. High. You know what that means, don’t you (other than the fact I have ample opportunity to embarrass my offspring)?

Not only will I sign your copy of The Geek Girl’s Guide to Cheerleading, but I will wrap it for you. (Because I’m also scheduled to work the gift wrapping table, if you haven’t already guessed.)

Hope to see you there!

And for more information on Debs signings this holiday season, check out the link below.

Darcy:

December 5th, Holidaze with the Debs:

1-3 p.m.
Borders
161 N. Weber Road
Bolingbrook, IL
Including: Cynthea Liu, Saundra Mitchell, Aprilynne Pike, Kristina Springer, Darcy Vance, Lara Zielin

7-9 p.m.
The Book Cellar, Inc.
4736-38 North Lincoln Avenue
Chicago, IL
Including: Cynthea Liu, Saundra Mitchell, Aprilynne Pike, Kristina Springer, Darcy Vance, Lara Zielin

Charity:

December 5th, First annual Hopkins West Jr. High Book Fair:

10 a.m. – 2 p.m. and 4 – 6 p.m.
Barnes and Noble Ridgehaven Mall
13131 Ridgedale Drive
Minnetonka, MN 55305

I’ve never been someone with a knack for sewing/knitting/crocheting. How I got a decent grade in Home Ec. (as we called it back in the day) is one of those mysteries best left unexplored. Although my sister reported that when she took the class four years later, the teacher still remembered me. Fondly.

Uh. Whatev.

That being said, I love dresses. I’m not really a girly girl either (she says, clad in camouflage Chuck Taylors) but I could spend hours searching for the perfect prom/home coming dress online. Because, you know, that’s practical.

And I love it when bloggers post their sewing/craft projects. One of my favorite dress sites is:

A Dress a Day

And, if I’m remembering correctly, Darcy has a special fondness for Tetris. (Am I remembering correctly? You do <3 Tetris, right?) So, this is for her, courtesy of A Dress a Day:

When geekdom and fashion collide: a thing of beauty

Jordyn over at Ten Cent Notes has put together two playlists based on 2009 debut novels.

A:

1. Glamorous – Fergie (Exclusively Chloe, by J.A. Yang)
2. Breathe – Taylor Swift (Breathing, by Cheryl Renee Herbsman)
3. The Not-So Pretty Princess – Jude (My Big Nose, by Sydney Salter)
4. The Reason – Hoobastank (The Geek Girl’s Guide to Cheerleading, by Charity Tahmaseb and Darcy Vance)
5. Love Like This – Natasha Bedingfeild (Shrinking Violet, by Danielle Joseph)
6. Anti-Pop – Matthew Good (Cracked Up to Be, by Courtney Summers)
7. Just Like Heaven – The Cure (This Is What I Want to Tell You, by Heather Duffy-Stone)
8. California Stars – Wilco (20 Boy Summer, by Sarah Ockler)

B:

1. Anyone at All – Carole King (The Espressologist, by Kristina Springer)
2. In-Between Days – The Cure (Flash Burnout, by L.K. Madigan)
3. Little Boxes – The Shins (Candor, by Pam Bachorz)
4. Love Story – Taylor Swift (Prada & Prejudice, by Mandy Hubbard)
5. Over My Head – The Fray (Lipstick Apology, by Jennifer Jabaley)
6. Make Your Own Kind of Music – Cass Elliot (The Secrets of Truth & Beauty, by Megan Frazer)
7. Mario Kart Love Song – Sam Hart (The Geek Girl’s Guide to Cheerleading, by Charity Tahmaseb and Darcy Vance)
8. Time Turned Fragile – Motion City Soundtrack (Break, by Hannah Moskovitz)

And between now and the 15^th, you can win one of these playlists–all for a comment. So, hurry on over.

I’m pretty psyched Geek Girl is on both playlists. I think Mario Kart Love Song must be Darcy’s contribution (either that, or I was contributing in another dimension–cuz I don’t remember suggesting that song).

The Reason by Hoobastank is my contribution, and it’s the song I associated with Geek Girl’s Guide. Well, that and it’s fun to say Hoobastank. Go on. Try it.

Anyway, Geek Girl never had a full playlist. There’s a few songs that I when I hear them, I’ll think of Geek Girl, but The Reason is the song. Every time it came on the radio, I’d take that as a good omen: it meant: I should write/revise/query and so on.

So … enjoy. And be sure to enter Jordyn’s contest.

Because I think you should be. Very, very scared:

In all honesty, the skeleton on the roof is really freaking me out.

In other spooky news, we’re giving away not one, but two ghostly 2009 Deb books over at Geek Girl. Shadowed Summer by Saundra Mitchell and Give Up The Ghost by Megan Crewe are up for grabs.

Of course, there’s the issue of the ear worm (you can thank me later–I’ve been humming this song for days).

He was all dressed up (if slightly wrinkled) for popcorn and wreath sales yesterday. Yes, it’s that time of year. Get your orders in.