No, I'm afraid I haven't, but if you put cardamon in your coffee it tastes like drinking a pine tree. I'm particularly fond of conifers - probably a result of growing up in Colorado.
None of the above, to be perfectly frank. I was an avid reader from about 3rd Grade until the economy drove me out of my dream job and I became a high school science teacher. Once you become a teacher you can just about forget your life. A health condition blew me out of teaching, so I've been in a renaissance of reading ever since. I alternate between fiction and non-fiction, though. I've always found the science to be a great source of inspiration for creative writing.
To be perfectly frank, I don't even know who Brandon is. A former member of this forum (J.S. Fields) recommended it to me.