Books, etc.

I just finished reading Richard Bushman's biography of Joseph Smith entitled Rough Stone Rolling. Bushman is a long tenured professor of history (who has taught at the University of Delaware, Columbia, and BYU) and is a member of the church. In an attempt to make Joseph Smith and the church more accessible to both members and non-members alike, Bushman delves into a lot of complicated church doctrine which makes the book drag a little, mostly because I'm already familar with the concept of our celestial progression and the nature of God as a fully embodied person. But for every heavy-handed section, there are fascinating insights into the life and times of Joseph Smith. Bushman does not shy away from the controversies in Joseph's life and like Joseph himself, admits that he was a flawed man, given to his passions and consumed with his calling in life, despite the resistance he faced. Not only did I gain a greater insight into Joseph the man and prophet, but I learned so much about the foundation of the church, the inclusion of new knowledge and doctrine, and the central role of the Book of Mormon. It's a long book, sometimes tedious and sometimes absolutely fascinating, but I recommend it to anyone who wants to read a very balanced and even-handed account of the life of Joseph Smith and his legacy.

Other than reading and watching the Olympics, not much has been going on in my life. I'm still searching for a job and slowly growing more and more crazy each day for lack of anything to do. I had 3 interviews for an admin position close to home (wouldn't it be so nice to walk to work?) but I got the impression during the third interview that they had already decided against me because they kept making comments about how over-qualified I was, how I might be bored, or how I should be working in a museum, not as an admin assistant. I tried to explain that I would not be bored, I liked mundane tasks, there are no museum jobs on an island as small as Oahu, and what does it matter if I am over-qualified for a job if I'm still willing to do it and can do it well? I haven't heard back about the job (my interview was a week ago) so I'm not holding my breath, but the sooner I can rule out that potential job, the sooner I can look more vigorously elsewhere. But the sad fact is that there are very few jobs in Hawaii and even fewer close to home and I do not want to have to drive an hour each way in and out of Honolulu everyday (the traffic is absolutely horrific here). I have a few other options and I'm applying for some teaching positions at the college level but since the new semester is starting soon, I probably won't be able to get a job until next semester but at least it would be something. Hopefully something will fall into place.

In the meantime, I'm going to go check out some new books at the library and bake some banana bread.