To all my friends who finished all of their finals over a week ago: please just stop talking to me.

Bwogline: Although New York City’s COVID-19 numbers are at record highs, hospitals in the city report being better prepared to handle this new wave of cases than ever before. This is largely due to the fact that the number of hospitalizations is increasing at a much lower rate than last winter’s delta surge and the first COVID wave—there is evidence that the rate of hospitalizations will take time to catch up with the case rate, given the initial research that shows how omicron is milder than previous strains. Further, most patients admitted with a severe case of COVID are often unvaccinated, elderly, or people living with a medical condition like renal disease or cancer. A spokesperson for Northwell Health (the state’s largest hospital system) said that while Northwell has enough medical supplies and space to accommodate patients with COVID-19—their primary concern is in staffing their hospital, given that employees who test positive then go into isolation for 10 days (Gothamist).

Study Tip: This one’s for all my humanities nerds and fellow paper-writers who have procrastinated turning their thing in till the very last few days. If you’re struggling to get words, any words on the page—try freewriting and let yourself put any and every kind of thought on the page until you overcome your initial writing jitters. And hey sometimes, you might even find something salvageable in there for use within your paper!

Music of the Day: I firmly believe that the best kind of study music is danceable music, which gets you to get up and get moving as a form of a study break. On that note, go listen to Saint Motel’s For Elise. You can thank me later.

Procrastination Tip: Honestly, find things to feel excited about doing during winter break. This is helpful because it will make this last stretch of finals week feel a little more meaningful—and a little less whythefuckamistilloncampusdoingthisinthemiddleofacovidoutbreak. Also, planning for things is always fun and you can think about all the things you’re hyped about doing!

Overseen/Overheard: On my flight home, the person sitting next to me fully took off their mask and decided instead to wear it as an eye mask for about two hours as they napped. Truly the cherry on top of my already incredibly stressful voyage home!

wear a mask like venus via bwarchives