Welcome back and greetings to all! This update has been a long time coming. We have had an eventful summer to say the least—full of life-changing excitement, heart-filled anguish, and the lots of good ol’ mid-western hard work! What could possibly bring such a rollercoaster of experiences? We spent the summer looking for, buying, and fixing up our first home right here in the city of Atlanta. It was a trip!

Street view of our home here in Atlanta.

We will spare you all the details (most of you just want to see the pictures anyway—you can view them at Flickr.com with all our photos or go to the latest post and include the password from the email). The gist is that we bought one of those foreclosed homes everyone has been hearing about on the news. It is a four bedroom home (and to all the family, no we are not planning to fill it any time real soon). We acquired it at the end of July, and although the house is only four years old, we had to spend a month having a contractor make it inhabitable. The previous occupants stripped it of all its mechanical systems—air-conditioner, water heater, all appliances, and even the whirlpool tub. Unfortunately, every surface has to be replaced, refinished, repainted, or deep-cleaned at best.

We moved in August 9 after Steve spent a week refinishing the hardwood floors. (A one-time job that he is glad to have done and will be happy to pay someone to do in the future). Although we are in the house, we still have a lot of “sweat equity” to invest before we can consider the house “done.” We are currently painting but Steve’s “honey-do” list is a bit daunting. For that matter, Erica’s “honey-do” list is no better!

We are enjoying home ownership nonetheless, and we are ready to accommodate any guests that may want to visit. You are welcome anytime! Enjoy the pics and hope to hear from you soon.

Fall 2007 Supplement–The Importance of Acoustics

Preface: The importance of this story is twofold. First, the dispute is based on acoustic annoyance which is one of the many issues that Erica and I deal with in our work (although this is an extreme). The second interesting aspect of this story is the fact that it took place less than 100 yards (meters) from our apartment building. Life in the big city!

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Buckhead shooting leaves one wounded

Shooter reportedly angry over construction noise

By MIKE MORRIS

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Published on: 12/18/07

A worker at a Buckhead construction site was shot and wounded late Tuesday morning by a resident of a neighboring condominium who, police said, was apparently upset about construction noise.

The 30-year-old suspect was taken into custody shortly after the 11:15 a.m. incident in the 2100 block of Peachtree Road, according to Atlanta police Sgt. Lisa Keyes.

Keyes said the victim, whose name and age were not immediately available, was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital in stable condition.

She said the suspect, whose name has also not been released, was cooperating with investigators. Keyes said the man would be charged in the shooting, but the specific charges had not been determined.

The shooting occurred near the intersection of Peachtree Road and Colonial Hills Drive, about two blocks north of Piedmont Hospital.

September 2007–Supplement

This is a story of Erica and my run-in with customs agents and begins with two apples, an orange, and a banana. I packed all the aforementioned fruit into my carry-on luggage to sustain us during the course of our inter-continental travels. ‘Supposedly’ when I was packing these little bits of nature’s goodness, Erica told me she didn’t want any of them during the trip, but I didn’t hear that…so they all got packed.

I enjoyed a fresh orange for breakfast in the Gothenburg airport, and then we boarded the plane for Heathrow in London, England. Come to find out, Heathrow is the one airport in the world that allows only a single piece of carry-on luggage per person. We were only transferring in London so we didn’t have access to our checked luggage to try to add carry-on items into the bigger bags. Somehow we managed to stuff everything into one bag each while carrying our laptops in our hands. Not to worry, the fruit made it via my trusty cargo short pockets.

We made it to the metal detectors where we dutifully surrendered all our metallic items, but in all the excitement, I didn’t consider what the security guards would think of my bulging pockets. I made it through the metal detectors with no problem but the guard on the other end asked what was in my pockets. I handed over the two apples and proceeded back through the metal detector at which time he patted me down. When he came across a remaining bulge in my pocket he asked to see what was still in my pocket. I sheepishly extracted the banana from my pocket at which time he asked, and I quote, “Is that a real banana in your pocket?” I could resist responding with only a slight smirk on my face, “Yes, sir, that is a real banana in my pocket.”

Even Erica gave a little chuckle at this point in our trip, but that was to be the end of any humor surrounding the fruit. We boarded our plane that would take us to the States and spent the next 8+ hours in transit to Chicago. Upon landing in Chicago we headed for customs with all of our possessions—including the fruit. I knew we couldn’t bring foreign, fresh produce into the country, but I forgot to leave the fruit on the plane. I realized my mistake while waiting to collect our checked baggage before customs and asked my sweet and loving wife to dispose of the contraband fruit.

As she walked around the customs area with her hands full of the potentially disastrous ‘biological weapons,’ an astute customs agent noticed her and sternly informed her that she must immediately take them to the agricultural customs agent for destruction. Keeping in mind that Erica doesn’t care for attention from strangers who yell from across the room, let us just say that I wasn’t in Erica’s good graces at that moment.

Despite all the excitement, we were allowed into the country and eventually Erica’s blood pressure returned to a normal level. She even laughs about it now and enjoys pointing out my simple mistake to her friends and family. So if you have had to endure this story before reading it here I apologize.

Swedish Christmas Traditions

We thought you might enjoy learning about some of the Jul (Christmas) traditions in Sweden!

		Glögg & pepparkakor An oh so yummy holiday treat! Glögg is a hot mulled wine served with almonds, raisins, and cinnamon. Often it is served with pepparkakor (thin gingerbread cookies). Erica’s in love. Julgran (Christmas tree) Swedes like their Christmas trees, but most wait until a couple days before Christmas to put them up. (Unlike Erica, who always puts hers up right after Thanksgiving!) They leave them up until the 20th day after Christmas, which is called Knut’s Day. For some Knut’s Day is quite an occasion. They throw their tree out into the snow with a promise to unite with the beloved pine in one year. Kids dress up as “Old Knut” (we don’t know what that looks like…we’ll let you know in our next update), play practical jokes, and chant as the tree is thrown out. Julbord (Christmas smorgasbord) The traditional buffet-style Christmas feast. It is a play on the term smörgåsbord. It often includes “Jul skinka” (ham), lye-fish, jellied pigs feet, meatballs, small sausages, koldomar (meat-stuffed cabbage rolls), and salmon with dill. Often a variety of herrings are served in different sauces like dill, mustard, cream, or sherry sauce. Vegetarians and non-pigs feet eaters don’t despair – also included is sweet-and-sour- red cabbage and a rice porridge made with cream, sugar and cinnamon. Whoever finds a whole almond in their porridge is expected to be married within the year or have good luck. Tomte (the Christmas gnome) Around the turn of the century, a Swedish artist began making Christmas cards with gnomes. Her cards were very popular and the tomte started to assume a role comparable to that of Santa Claus. Traditionally he was believed to live under the floor boards of the house or the barn, but many today think he lives at the North Pole. Much like our Santa, the tomte brings presents on Christmas Eve. Some people even dress up as gnomes on Christmas Eve!

December 2007

This fall has been a season of transition. We have settled into our new home in Atlanta and love it. Erica is getting used to her new title of “Dr. Ryherd” at Georgia Tech, and I am finally giving up on being a student. We are also enjoying some travel here in Atlanta and elsewhere in the US.

Erica’s Work

We arrived in Atlanta in August just in time for Erica to begin her new job as a professor at Georgia Tech in the mechanical engineering department (Erica’s Faculty Webpage). In her first semester, she taught a senior elective course in noise control, managed to advise four students, publish a couple academic papers, and helped to create a student chapter of the Acoustical Society of America on campus. I am so proud of her. (I have to be—it is because of her that I was able to stay home and not work. Read on; it is almost excusable.) Make sure to read about the importance of Erica’s research on the effects of noise on humans—Acoustics in Atlanta.

Steve’s ‘Work’

While Erica was inspiring young minds, I was at home in our new apartment contemplating the naivety of man’s traditional role of sole provider. Between philosophic episodes, I did manage to work on my master’s thesis for the applied acoustics program I started in Sweden. I also attempted to minimize the affects of everyday life upon Erica by getting us unpacked and settled into our new home. Most recently, I have been in the process of searching for a job. After a long and arduous search, I am thrilled to announce that I am officially an acoustical consultant with Arpeggio, LLC (www.arpeggioacoustics.com). I will work with people in the building industry and community to optimize acoustics and vibrations relating to room geometries, interior finishes, construction materials, and physical layouts of buildings and communities.

Life in the Big City

It hasn’t been all work since we arrived in Atlanta. We have managed to get around the city a bit to see some sites. Most of our tourist activities have come during visits from friends and family. Erica’s parents came to visit in early September and my parents visited in October. During the beautiful fall weather we found a couple favorite tourist sites—the Martin Luther King, Jr. museum and the World of Coca-Cola. We have also managed to make it to a Georgia Tech football game and have enjoyed some Sunday drives to other parts of the city. There is more stuff to do here than we have time to do it!

Excuse to Travel

We also managed to get away a couple times in the last few months. Granted, it was for conferences, but we will take any chance we can get to travel. We went to two acoustic conferences—one in Reno, Nevada, and the other in New Orleans, Louisiana (view our photos). Reno was a nice little city where I got to try my hand at the dollar black jack table. Unfortunately, we didn’t get out to Lake Tahoe, but the mountain views were spectacular. New Orleans was also an interesting trip. The part of the city we saw had

recovered nicely from the hurricanes. We stayed right next to the French Quarter. We took in some of the sights—Bourbon Street, Mardi Gras Museum, Café Du Monde, and the river walk. It was a fun trip and we hope to get the chance to go back some day.

September 2007

Trevlig Sommar (Happy Summer!)

It has been another exciting summer for Erica and me. The last three months have constituted the end of our adventures in Scandinavia and the beginning of our settling in the South. Since our last update in June, we have hosted our last set of guests in Sweden, flown back to the USA, visited friends and family throughout the Midwest, and moved to Atlanta.

Final Days in Sverige (Sweden)

The month of June was spent finishing our planned work for Sweden. Erica was still collecting data in the city of Borås, and I was finishing my coursework and data collection for my thesis. Just before we left Sweden, two of my uncles, an aunt, and my parents came to visit. Highlights of their visit included a visit to Copenhagen and a castle in Helsingør, Denmark. We also toured around Gothenburg and visited Erica in Borås for a cookout.

Their visit also included the infamous Midsommar Festival which is celebrated across Scandinavia commemorating the vitality of spring and the longest day of the year. In Gothenburg, sundown was at around 11:30 PM and sunup was around 2:30 AM. That’s right—a healthy 21 hours of daylight! It made up for the lack of sun we experienced in the winter.

My family and I also took a trip to Norway. We started in Oslo and then embarked on a spectacular tour across the mountain range that defines the Norwegian peninsula. It was a daylong journey consisting of three trains, a boat, a bus, and countless photographs of waterfalls cascading into the renowned Norwegian fjords. My relatives even got a bonus at both ends of the trip—thrifty living in European hostels that only a graduate student can arrange! It was a wonderful trip with many great memories. We were glad that these and so many other family and friends were able to visit during our stay.

Back to the USA!

On July 1, two days after our last guests, we made our way for home…kind of. We had no place to really call ‘home.’ Even though, we packed all our stuff from the year into five bags and four carry-ons and boarded the plane. I wish I could say that the flight was uneventful, but Erica won’t let me get away without mentioning our little run-in with US customs. The story is a bit lengthy but let me just say that the story involves an airport security agent asking me, “sir, is that a real banana in your pocket?” If you are intrigued to read more, you can read the story here—‘Fruitful’ Re-entry.

Upon return to the US, we proceeded to visit friends and family throughout the Midwest during the month of July, including Nebraska, Iowa, and Kansas. The month of travels was a wonderful way to catch up with friends and family we hadn’t seen during our time away. For those of you we didn’t have a chance to visit, we hope to see you again soon!

Georgia On Our Mind

We also made a house-hunting trip to Atlanta during the month of July. We are very excited about the apartment we are renting. We moved down to Atlanta at the beginning of August and are located just north of downtown within 15 minutes of Erica’s job at Georgia Tech. Erica started her assistant professor position soon after our arrival and has been working very hard. On top of that, she helped me to get everything unpacked. Now that we are settled, I am working on my thesis to finish my master’s degree in acoustics from Sweden and will hopefully beginning working by the first of the year.

Our latest excitement is that we have already hosted our first guests here in Atlanta. Erica’s parents and college roommate (Beth) all came down and we went to the K-State vs. Auburn game in Alabama. Erica was SO happy to see her wildcats in action. It was another great adventure—our first here in the South, and we are looking forward to many more to come.

We are now looking forward to a fall full of (American) football and some cooler weather. Enjoy your fall and hope to hear from you soon!!

13 June 2007

Trevlig Sommar (Happy Summer!)

The month of May was filled with lots of work and plenty of play. Erica moved to Borås mid-month to do some more research at a hospital. It is a quaint little city about 60 km from Gothenburg. Check back next month for some pictures of her new home. While Erica settled into her new place, I pined away the time back in Gothenburg by myself while finishing my coursework and working on projects. Fortunately, Erica made it back to town to help host our multiple visitors during the month.

Steve goes to Stockholm

I made one last trip to Stockholm to fulfill my Fulbright duties. I provided some personal insight on what it is like to be a student in the United States for next year’s Swedish Fulbrighters coming to the US. My meeting also coincided with a conference on Sweden’s social climate discussing issues ranging from what it means to be a Swede to immigration and integration. Of course, my visit wasn’t all business. The trip was also an opportunity to see the capital city again and to take a few more pictures.

Birthday at Bohus

Nothing says ‘Happy Birthday’ like a late middle age fortress…or so I thought. I surprised Erica with a trip outside Gothenburg with some friends of ours. The Bohus Fästning (or fortress) was once a stronghold of western Sweden back when Sweden, Denmark, and Norway were all under one rule. Today, the fortress is overgrown by lush, green grass, but it is always fun to imagine how the place used to be back in the day.

Visitors!!–The Ryherd B&B

The month of May apparently marked the beginning of our high tourist season here in Gothenburg. We had three sets of visitors come stay with us—Jon Rathsam who studied acoustics with us in Omaha, Kyle Hoback who studied with Steve in undergrad, and Tommi & Maud who are friends of ours from Stockholm. All three visits were wonderful. It was great fun showing everyone around this town and introducing them to Swedish culture. Playing tour guide for the native Swedes was a special pleasure because although it is their country, they were not familiar with Göteborg. We got to show them all around this city which we have come to love as our own.

12 May 2007

Vår är här! (Spring is here!)

The month of April was a busy working month for us despite the many Swedish vacations or ‘red days.’ However, all work and no play is impossible in Sweden—even with our workaholic, American tendencies. During the month, I prepared and completed my thesis testing while Erica made final preparations to finish her project. More notably however, we celebrated some traditional Swedish events throughout the month.

German Dinner

Unfortunately, April began with the celebration of an uneventful Easter here in Göteborg due to my thesis work. I emerged from my two weeks of testing to realize that spring had come to Göteborg. Flowers were blooming and the sun was shining (most of the time). The beautiful weather meant that Swedes find any excuse to get outside, and our excuse was a grill-out hosted by the German students of my department. They ‘smuggled’ traditional German beer and sausages from various regions of their home country.

Countryside Retreat

Erica found her own excuse to get out into the Swedish countryside by attending a women’s church retreat in Bokenäs. She spent the weekend in the seaside village outside Göteborg enjoying the gorgeous natural scenery. She came back revived, relaxed, and ready to take on the rest of her project.

Cortege

April ended with Cortege—a 100 year old tradition of Chalmer’s students putting on a parade through the city. Cortege isn’t your grandmother’s ‘hop on tractor and throw candy’ kind of parade. Oh no! Chalmers students spent more than two weeks building elaborate floats (and drinking free beer). The floats tended to be political commentaries that related to Swedish society—everything from commemorating the first Swedish astronaut in space to the temporary closure of a nuclear power plant due to employee drug use on the job. The parade was an impressive display of youthful ingenuity and expressiveness.

We can’t believe that April went by so fast! It was a fun month watching spring come to Sweden and preparing for the remainder of our stay. We have only a couple short months left, but there is a lot of work and fun yet to be had. So, don’t worry, there will be plenty to come back and see next month as our adventures continue! Miss you all!

5 APRIL 2007

Glad Påsk (Happy Easter!)

We hope you are all enjoying some sunshine wherever you are. We ended March on a high note with some unseasonably sunny weather here in Sweden. It was a great ending to a fun month of adventures in Ireland and here at home in Göteborg with Erica’s mom, Sue.

Ireland

We spent the St. Patrick’s Day weekend in the heart of it all – Dublin. It was great fun to be surrounded by genuine Irish accents as we spent time in the pubs sampling the local fare and brew. One of our favorite activities was an all-day guided tour. We started in Dublin, and then we went to a mansion outside of town. On the way home, we drove around the coast through some of the smaller towns. It was beautiful!

Another highlight was a trip to the City Hall Museum, which recounted the fascinating history of Ireland and the city of Dublin. We also had a terrific time at a hilarious concert we attended, which was part choral music and part “clowning around.” Literally! Four clowns interacted with a choir that was singing Irish music. One of our favorite pieces was a politically incorrect song called “Amos the Leper,” which was supposedly part of the Irish National School Curriculum until the 1980’s. We’ll be happy to sing you a rendition the next time we meet!

Sweden

Sue’s stay in Sweden was extended when she fell ill with a terrible sinus & ear infection on the way back from Ireland so she got to experience the Swedish medical system! Although the Swedish minor emergency center is not typically on the list of “must-dos,” she braved both it and the government-controlled pharmacy like a trooper. By the end of her stay, she was feeling much better so we were able to properly play tourist here in Gothenburg.

We went to see a modern dance performance at the lovely Gothenburg Opera House.  It is located right on the harbor, and the building and interiors have naval influences beautifully integrated into the design. We thought the acoustics were pretty good, too! Mom and I also took a trip to the Gothenburg City Art Museum. It has a great collection of Nordic art. We were especially intrigued with the works by Swedish artists Carl Larsson and Ivar Arosenius. Check out some of Carl’s art at Wikipedia.

Other fun activities included shopping (of course), eating at yummy restaurants, going to the Easter markets, and visiting old churches.  We also went to a ski/snowboarding jump competition at Steve’s school.  They build a temporary structure every year outside the union and they ship in the snow from up north (since it is too warm to get it naturally around here). People come from all over to participate.  Sue’s ready to be a pro-snowboarder!

We wish you a Glad Påsk wherever you may be – say goodbye to a long winter and enjoy the spring!