On the Streets of DC: H Street Festival and its Crazy Car Art

So I am writing this post because I just wanted to share these pictures with everyone that I happened to stumble upon. A month ago I went to the H Street festival in Washington DC and had a really good time snapping pictures of the excitement. From my understanding, what was really cool about this festival was  that they were celebrating the fact that they were finally approved for reconstruction after the destruction of the 1968 DC riots. They are the last section of the city to be approved which is pretty ridiculous seeing that it was 43 years ago and its the capital. Anyway, what I found to be really unique were the amount of people displaying their artwork on their cars, literally! Granted every city has some of these iconic vehicles but how often do you see them all show up at once?! Well the following are a few of my favorites. Enjoy!

Western + Back to the Future Mobile

 Look toward the back of the pic and you'll see this retro 1960 feeling vehicle I've deemed The Tin Van

  Celebrity Mobile- Rock and Blues Icons

I call this one the overtly enthusiastic soccer mom. Look how many bumper stickers there are and the shrine at the top. I mean wow that took some time!

Awesome kid counting to make sure all his kit-kats were still there! Haha the little things! I had to put this in.

Dime Saver DYI: Series 2

Hey all just wanted to share some of my favorite natural homemade products that all surprise me in how great they work! Get on this!!


All Purpose House cleanser

two tablespoons vinegar

one teaspoon borax

hot water

Dishes- Stuck on grease 
rub a fabric softener sheet on trouble area
If still sticking let soak with it


Revive burn out pots and pans
vinegar+salt
Let stand 10 minutes
Rub out with cloth
Repeat if necessary


Facial Mask
 2 egg whites
yogurt
mix two ingredients together then apply to face and leave on for 10 minutes.


Hair Products
Cleansing and Detangling Shampoo
Apple Cider Vinegar diluted with water
Add lavender extract for smell

Deep Conditioner
1 Avocado
1 Banana or banana baby food
1 tbsp olive oil or coconut oil
1 tbsp vitamin e oil


Moisturizer
raw shea butter
mixed with 1 tbsp olive oil or coconut oil
Natural Hair Lightener
Lemon juice
Honey
+ Conditioner of Choice

Flood by Stephen Baxter Book Review

Flood by Stephen Baxter is set in the near future and spans about half a lifetime into the future future. It centers around four people who were held hostage for five years and finally released  into a world that has drastically changed from what they used to know. The earth is steadily being flooded by unknown forces.  Is it the result of global warming? Is it atmospheric changes? The answer is not revealed until about half way into the book.

Stephen Baxter is masterful in detailing geography, making theory appear realistic, and capturing the extremes of human behavior under survival conditions. With that being said, my favorite parts about this book were the destruction and survival scenes. They were the most intense, scary, and the most descriptive as to what was going on on a human and global perspective. I was however left with wanting more of a scientific explanation. Reading up on how the story was researched it seems that Baxter took an unsupported theory and went off of it. So, the possibility that this scenario would ever pan out is low and that is fine. Still, being an environmental enthusiasts I loved how he would touch on animal populations, pollution released as a result of disaster, and changing ecosystems in addition to human life.

While the premise is centered around four hostages what I did not like was that the focus of the story shifts to center mainly around Lily and her family ties. The purpose of the other main characters seem to be included for the sake of shifting to different locations around the earth. They were essentially catalysts which bothered me because many of them seemed more interesting than Lily. For instance, my personal favorite was Gary one of the younger hostages of whom we heard little about. In addition, the main characters were apart of this elite group so they themselves were not always bearing the brunt of the destruction. Their lives merely gave way to a more objective scientific and political perspective that to why things were happening and what would happen next.

Aside from the character development and dodgy science, it did keep me entertained on the metro and almost made miss my stops a couple times!  While its no page turner, I would recommend this to anyone who likes apocalyptic books with an environmental twist. Also there is a sequel that I have yet to read called Ark. Check it out!