Spektacular week, Swell weekend

If last week was all about opera, this week was chock-full of concerts. Regina Spektor kicked off the musical mayhem with her concert on Tuesday. Her unique voice is so quirky and rich. Many people know her poppy song Fidelity, but my favorite of the night was definitely Samson with Human of the Year being an unexpected highlight, too. From her bright red lipstick to her sea green guitar to her black sequin shoes, she was quite the sight. I was amazed at the respect and rapt attention from the packed, seated crowd. While at the concert with Sarah, I rendezvoused with classmate Brett (pictured above) and his brother who came into town just to see Ms. Spektor.On Friday morning I had a big decision to make. Weeks ago I had purchased a pair of tickets to see Jewel. The eighth row tickets were normally $39 a piece plus fees, but using my Citi card, I snagged both for $27 total. When I realized that Swell Season (aka the band featuring Once stars Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova) was playing at the same time less than two miles away, I knew a tough choice was before me. I tried my luck at winning tickets and fate told me I had to go see the Academy Award winners instead of Ty Murray's wife. After making a quick and profitable sale (+$13!) on Craiglist, I picked up former roommate Arielle and headed to Warehouse Live.The concert was truly top notch. Glen Hansard sang his heart out, and Marketa Irglova's voice was soft, sad, and sweet. If it weren't for the horrendously obnoxious and rude crowd, I would have had a perfect time. Thankfully, the members of Swell Season kept their cool and carried on over the loud, disrespectful Texan audience. Though the clip below is incredibly blurry (hint, hint Santa), the audio came through well enough to demonstrate their pure voices and musical mastery. Every song was a stand out. I could go on and on, but I'll leave it at that and if you want more from Swell Season, check out this NPR spot.

In med school news, I submitted my schedule request for clinics earlier this week. We finally had our first round of talks about what to expect when rotations start in January. While I'm very excited about getting to that point, it's going to be a rough road between now and December 18. Wentworth decided to show you how I feel about these upcoming tests: