A lot has happened since my last report - we've got some catching up to do!
As soon as we completed our comms last night, things snowballed quickly. Cesare's industrious cooking yielded us with a 3-course meal consisting of bruschetta appetizers, zucchini bread, spinach balls, lasagna, and beignets for dessert. It was phenomenal. Not once did Cesare complain or make a big deal out of his cooking, he just immersed himself in a world of pots and pans and emerged at the end of the day with the most incredible Christmars feast I've ever partaken in. We learned a valuable lesson that day: that real G's move silent, like the "g" in "lasagna." Cesare has definitely cemented himself as a real G.
I think I speak on behalf of the whole crew when I say dessert was the best part. It was to die for. I would know, considering my brief visit to the underworld just a day prior. Last night, for a brief moment, the MDRS became the Mars Dessert Research Station. But it was a double-edged sword. The bite-sized beignets became ammunition for a collective, Habitat-wide sugar rush of epic proportions. I think we all had a bit of pent-up crazy, exacerbated by our glucose guzzling, and our Christmars celebration was the perfect excuse to let it all out.
There was raucous laughter, unbelievable stories, and definitely some Backstreet Boys sprinkled in there. The chaotic cacophony escalated to a point where we almost didn't hear our radio spark up with the sound of unidentified voices summoning us to the Habitat tunnels.
We flew down the stairs, ignoring OSHA regulation, and crammed 7 space goobers into the back airlock. The other side greeted us with a starlit sky and a cluster of lifeforms illuminated solely by beautiful color-changing lamps. They offered us sparkling apple cider and marshmallows, but the greatest yuletide gift was having the company of intelligent life for the first time in... man, has it only been 6 Sols? We offered what little we could in return, namely a bag of powdered milk and Teddy Grahams, our closest analogue to milk and cookies. As they departed, they joined together in immaculate chorus singing a Martian rendition of "We Wish You a Merry Christmas," slinking away into the night as mysteriously as they arrived. If this was first contact with extraterrestrials, it bodes well for Earthling-Martian relations. As their pulsing chromatic lights faded into the distance and our pupils dilated to accommodate the moonless night sky, Vladimir said "were they aliens, or were they angels?"
There was a newfound sense of togetherness as we re-entered the airlock, this time with much less sugary potential energy and much more Christmars camaraderie. We decided to spend the rest of the night playing a wholesome card game, a social lubricant that encouraged mutual vulnerability and sharing on a personal level yet untouched within the confines of the Hab. And it was cathartic. I've shared so much time with these people, why not share a piece of myself? They've earned it. And they responded in kind. We retired to our staterooms one by one, our stomachs full of carbs and our hearts full of pure contentment. And also carbs. It was not a good night for our cholesterol.
We woke this morning to the stark realization that our mission has reached its halfway point. That double-edged sword rears its ugly head once again. We all just spend the better part of a Martian evening wearing our hearts on our sleeves and getting to know each other. I've just begun coming to terms with the fact that I might actually like spending time with these people, and now I have to come to terms with the fact that that time is limited. Crap.
But the ceaseless march of time waits for no one, so our responsibility is just to make the best of it. And what better way than with a Christmars EVA? Kasey, Vladimir, and Dylan set off towards Galileo Road, three space-suit clad Marsketeers. They achieved all their research goals like a well-oiled machine and returned to the Hab an hour early, which lent an extra hour to our Christmars personal time. I built a Mars-themed LEGO with Tyler, belted out some ABBA in the science dome, and everyone took a good nap at some point or another. Probably a delayed sugar crash from the previous night's debauchery.
We also got the privelege of very brief, water-conservative showers, courtesy of our Commander! By the time the water temperature had adjusted to a comfortable level, it was time to shut it off, but I still left feeling rejuvenated and fresh. Maybe a little too fresh. Quick tip for any future astronauts that may be reading this: do not purchase menthol-based soap if you know what's good for you.
We now work away the evening, enjoying Chef Dylan's bean dish and a plethora of leftovers from yesterday. What the rest of the night has in store, no one knows, but I know it'll be spent in good company.
There may be fewer days ahead than gone, but you bet we're gonna make the best of them. Merry Christmars!
