Notes from Brandon

Welcome to my O-Nerd User Page! Below is a little about me and my interests. (See the various content tabs for my thoughts, including posts like: a miracle diet, welfare plan, plane boarding plan, energy crisis plan, and a gun control plan.)

Family

I’m located in Houston, TX and live with my wife, Kari and (as of October 7, 2007) my son, Collin. My dad, mom (twice), twin and younger brothers, father-in-law and sister-in-law are all O-Nerds.

Education and Employment

I graduated from the Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science in 1997 and graduated Magna Cum Laude (that’s right; I said it) from Texas A&M University in December of 2003 with a BS in Mechanical Engineering. I went to work for Cameron, where I designed subsea trees for 3.5 years. I’m currently employed at Shell as a subsea hardware engineer.

Religion

I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I served a two-year mission in the Korea Pusan Mission from Dec 1998 – Dec 2000. I’m currently a member of the Wheatstone Ward, Cypress Texas Stake and am serving as the Ward Executive Secretary.

I enjoy religious discussion, but I think much of it suffers from close-mindedness. Too many show a propensity to latch onto rumors or heresay concerning the beliefs of others – particularly those about whom they know little. In that light, here are some links to usually quality and reliable information on my faith:

• LDS.org – official Church website
• Mormon.org – official Church website for non-members wanting to know more
• JesusChrist.lds.org – official Church website on Jesus Christ
• JosephSmith.net – official Church website on Joseph Smith
• ProvidentLiving.org – official Church website on self-reliance and welfare
• The Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
• The Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research
• The FAIR Wiki – Wiki addressing many controversies and criticisms

Additionally, the following are especially interesting articles or videos on religious topics:

• "Chiasmus in the Book of Mormon; (video) by John W. Welch
• "The Good Samaritan: A Type and Shadow of the Plan of Salvation; (PDF) by John W. Welch
• "Basic Methodological Problems with the Anti-Mormon Approach to the Geography and Archaeology of the Book of Mormon; (PDF) by William Hamblin
• "Mormonism and Democratic Politics: Are They Compatible?; interview of Richard Bushman published on the Pew Forum
• "Killing Laban: The Birth of Sovereignty in the Nephite Constitutional Order; by Val Larsen
• "Joseph Smith Hypocephalus: Seventeen Years Later; (PDF) by Michael D. Rhodes
• "Horses in the Book of Mormon; by Michael R. Ash

Art

I paint. My oil paintings are available for sale at at TheAbstractHome.com here. I enjoy looking at art, but not over-analyzing it. I have some Mark Rothko hanging in my house.

A good friend of mine runs a mobile store at Konrads.com and Hanging Mobile Gallery.com.

Music

I’m an audiophile. I enjoy indie, indie rock, emo, punk, punk-pop, hardcore, alternative, and post all of those genres (e.g., post-punk, post-hardcore, etc.). If you’d like more info on my taste, I publish a short article with my music purchases each month. Here’s a link to all of them.

Places to Discover/Buy Music

• All Music – information on just about everyone
• eMusic – cheap independent music by monthly subscription
• mp3obsession – cheap mp3 download sites reviewed
• Pandora – an online DJ tailored to your tastes

March 2010 Purchase Log

• Cancer Bats – Birthing the Giant
• Christiansen – Stylish Nihilists
• Crime In Stereo – I Was Trying to Describe You to Someone
• Damien Rice – O
• Frightened Rabbit – The Winter of Mixed Drinks
• National, The – Alligator
• Rival Schools – United By Fate
• Rocket Summer, The – Of Men and Angels
• Rogue Wave – Asleep at Heaven’s Gate
• Rosie Thomas – These Friends of Mine
• Shearwater – The Golden Archipalego

Sports

I enjoy college football and basketball – mostly those of my alma mater.

• Best Holiday Bowl Ever – A&M vs BYU, 1990
• Worst Holiday Bowl Ever – A&M vs California, 2006

Reading List

• Old Themes and Stereotypes Never Die: The Unchanging Ways of Anti-Mormons
• Easier than Research, More Inflammatory than Truth
• Partakers of the Divine Nature
• The Fallacy of Fundamentalist Assumptions
• Is the Church Archives Closed?
• Work, Worship, and Grace
• Three Days and Three Nights: Reassessing Jesus’s Entombment
• The Hunt for the Valley of Lemuel