Self-Indulgence Post: Anecdote: Barnes and Noble and My Love of Russian History!

The Last Days of the Romanovs: Tragedy at Ekaterinburg
I usually find this book in the bibliography section at Barnes & Noble (B&N). Today, I could not locate it (I doubted anyone had bought it), so I had several employees searching for it for a long time. It turns out the book was misplaced in the poetry section next to the Pablo Neruda book, Five Decades: Poems 1925-1970. It is actually the same Neruda book I was reading last week and have been wanting to buy for an extremely long time. Is it uncanny that the same two books that have captured my attention for such a long time ended up side by side in the same section? As Neruda might say alas: "Quizas!" ("Perhaps!").
Oh, and I made a friend while at B&N. It was a lady who has been studying Russian history, the Romanovs, Rasputin, the Russo-Japanese War (1904), The First World War (1914-1918) a.k.a. The Great War, etc.... If you know me and my ♥ of history (esp Russian history), well, you know you won't be able to shut me up after I begin talking about it.

 
Anyway...the lady I met at B&N was fascinating. Her great-grandfather was in Russia during the days of Nicholas II (the final Czarship/Tsarship reign) and the migration made by several Russians into different parts of the world during the "white émigré" (Белоэмигрант) as a result of the Russian Revolution. Her great-grandfather emigrated to Detroit, MI. 
The wonderful lady was impressed that I knew so much Russian history especially about the Romanavs (during their days in power until the tragic end). She said she could see my love of history because I spoke so passionately about it. She added that I had a gleam in my eye as I spoke. She thought I was a Historian and proceeded to ask if I was. I humbly (but with gratitude) said, "no, but thank you for thinking so." I asked her if she was a Historian. She replied, "yes, I taught at Carnegie Mellon University." I was immediately impressed by her CV (curriculum vitae). My jaw dropped once again in awe. I asked her if she knew Randy Pausch (author of "The Last Lecture"). She smiled and said, "yes, I sure did. He was a wonderful human being." She said my vast knowledge of so many different subjects was refreshing. She was impressed I knew about Pausch. I alluded to my great interest, passion, and admiration of  Pausch, and how his "last lecture" inspired me to do so much; I did not elaborate on the myriad of things Pausch's fabulous work and famous speech stirred me to do. The kind lady insisted I become a history professor. She concluded by stating that the world of psychology was lucky to get me, but that the world of history was going to suffer because I was not going to be a part of it. I thanked her again.
"AWESOME!" that is what I said to myself as I was leaving the store. I almost forgot to put down the three books I had been glancing through; including the novel The Last Days of the Romanovs, which is the book the lady saw me reading as she began the sublime conversation with me. But, whew, so glad I remembered at the last minute that I was still carrying the books. How embarrassing had I walked out with unpaid merchandise in tow. The "assets protection" squad at B&N would've called the po-po on me and off to jail without a "get out of jail card" I could've gone. The lady would've seen me on the evening news and police blotter and rethought her praises of me. LOL.