Another Lunar 1 Diary

January 13, 2074
Dear Diary, 
Thomas is well behaved today; I suppose Tara's plan is working. I have the third watch this month, what would be the night watch on Earth. But since Ops--and the hospital, habitat rings, factories, and recreational facilities--are subterranean, and we are on the light side of the moon, where it is sunny all the time above ground, it doesn't really make a difference. The third shift is easier than the others, because the factories and recreational facilities are closed. The hospital has minimal staffing as well, and the counselors and most other personnel are off duty. There's still a lot of work to be done, though. We have to keep a careful eye on the oxygen levels; additionally, we have to keep a close eye on the detectors so we will be aware of any incoming meteors. The Grid--the rubber/bioplastic mesh just above the tinted reinforced glass dome--is supposed to protect us from small meteors; we also have missiles to destroy larger meteors. Back on Earth we didn't have to worry as much, but without an atmosphere to protect us, we're very vulnerable here. Of course we're working to create an atmosphere here; but it's slow work, and not very exciting. Tonight one of the solar panels seems to be malfunctioning. I sent a repair bot to correct it; turns out some wires had been faulty. I made a note of it in the log.
Pretty boring evening, really. I was catching up on some of the news from Earth. There was another huge earthquake back home in California; can't say I miss those. It's kind of nice to live on a ball of rock that doesn't act like it wants to throw you into the ocean every few days. One of the water desalification plants in Pakistan failed; hundreds of thousands are without water. Combine that with the lack of power they've been experiencing since the last of the mountain ice melted away, and it's pretty bad there. China is of course sending aid, again. The famine in Africa has worsened. It's tragic. Even after the empires that raped Africa for its resources have fallen into demise, the poor continent still can't catch a break. I hear that some philanthropists are trying to set up a society based on the same principles as our colonies. My shift is almost over, and I must write my shift summary. More later.
~Cheung