A woman from Brisbane, Australia, has found a clever way to make her travel dreams come true by doing what she loves—taking care of people’s cats. Madolline Gourley, a 32-year-old writer, estimates she’s saved $28,000 in travel expenses in five years by cat- and house-sitting in nearly 50 homes across the U.S. and Australia.“As a sitter, you house or pet sit for 'free' in exchange for accommodation,” she told Business Insider. Gourley finds places to stay on house-sitting websites including TrustedHousesitters, MindMyHouse, HouseCarers, Aussie House Sitters, House Sitters America and House Sitters Canada. She documents her travels on a blog, One Cat at a Time. She believes that she gets the gigs primarily because of her experience with cats. See on Instagram "If you take out the fact that I'm from Australia, it's not that much different than a friend or a neighbor watching your pet," Gourley told NBC. "Their place is the only form of payment I get."For Gourley, cat-sitting was a natural fit. “I’ve had cats since I was little and my mum is a big cat fan, too. She’s also had cats all her life,” she told The Animal Rescue Site. “When I found out about the whole house/pet sitting for accommodation thing, I only wanted to do it looking after cats because I’ve only ever cared for cats.” See on Instagram Her most recent 75-day trip across America was her most adventurous yet. “I’ve looked after 15 cats and nine different homes in seven cities across the country. I started out in Seattle before making my way to Austin, New York City—where I got sits in Chelsea, South Park Slope and Prospect Heights—Salt Lake City, Denver, Chicago and Portland,” she wrote on her blog.The great thing for Gourley is that cats are pretty easy to take care of, only taking up about 30 minutes of her day. The rest of the time she’s free to be a tourist. She gets a lot of great sightseeing and eating recommendations from her customers. See on Instagram “Traveling by way of house and pet sitting might come with a few extra responsibilities, but on this trip alone, it saved me thousands of dollars on accommodations,” she wrote. “Reserving 15 minutes of my morning and evening for pet care or house maintenance wasn't much to ask when I had the rest of the day to explore each of the cities I visited.”Even though her accommodations were taken care of through cat-sitting jobs, the trip wasn’t entirely free. Her American vacation cost about $7,200, or around $96 per day. That included the $1300 round-trip airfare from Australia to the U.S.Gourley didn’t need to budget for her trip because she gets around $9,000 back every year on her Australian tax returns, which she reinvests into her traveling fund.People have told Gourley she should write a book about her incredible traveling hack but she doesn’t want to ruin the fun."A few people have emailed me saying I should compile a book, and that makes me laugh," Gourley said. "I'll still mull on the idea, but I don't want to invest weeks and months and putting something together ... It's been a pretty cool experience, and an opportunity to save a ton of money."This article originally appeared on 6.13.22

Forget kids. Grandmas say the darndest things. One grandma in particular took TikTok by storm for her brutally honest, yet hilarious “funeral rules.” And though Grandma Lill adds the caveat that it won’t be anytime soon, you had better remember these rules when the day finally comes. Or there might be two funerals to plan.Grandma Lill is no stranger to the spotlight. Her social media bios all read “I’m a celebrity” and she’s not foolin’ around. She has her own clothing line, YouTube Channel and her name has been uttered by the likes of Jimmy Kimmel and Steve Harvey. She’s basically the internet’s favorite granny. But this video takes the cake at a whopping 20 million views. She’s gone full-blown viral now. Probably because she inadvertently brings up some little gems of wisdom we could all apply to dealing with the passing of a loved one. Or maybe it's just cause she's delightfully cantankerous. Either way, it makes for some wholesome entertainment. Without further ado, here are those three important rules: 1. Cry. But not too much. Or, as Grandma Lill puts it, “don’t make a fool of yourself.” Funerals can be just as much about commemorating as they are expressing grief. We can also share the happy memories we have of those who have passed, not just shed tears. I think this is what grandma Lill was getting at. Or maybe she just doesn’t like you stealing the attention.2. Bertha ISN'T invited. Whoever this Bertha chick is … she messed up. She messed up big time. Bertha, you have been CANCELED.And hey, why shouldn’t we decide who’s on the invite list for our last big day? If, for example, there’s a family member who caused a lot of pain, or with whom we just didn’t share a kinship … perhaps there doesn’t have to be an obligation to invite them to these major life moments. Basically, this is your permission slip to openly decline any and all Berthas in your life. That goes for weddings, birthday parties, baby showers … you name it. Don’t let her in! 3. Get drunk afterward.As long as you take a shot for Grandma Lill.After the ceremony honors what’s lost, take a moment to let go and move forward with the life that is still around you. Something tells me that letting it all go and celebrating life is something Grandma Lill’s a pro at. Check out Grandma Lill's 'Funeral Rules' below: @grandma_droniak it wont be any time soon but dont forget it #funeral #grandma #rules #dontcry #funeralservices #wake #greenscreen ♬ original sound - grandma_droniak Of course, funerals aren’t the only topic Grandma Lill can make you laugh about. Her TikTok channel is a carefully curated gallery of pure funny. Everything from bingo jokes to advice for getting back at your ex (yeah, she shows no mercy) can be found here.This article originally appeared on 4.5.22

Fred Rogers was truly one of humanity's greats, in every sense that counts most. He wasn't a titan of industry or a builder of empires. He wasn't a man of great means or a wielder of political power. He was humble, gentle and kind. He was a teacher, a learner and a leader in his own way. For generations of children, he was a consistent voice of compassion, curiosity and caring. He was a calm haven in our television set, a safe space where we always knew we were loved just the way we are. And yet he was strong, too, just not in the way we often think of strength. He was a fierce defender of children and a champion of justice. His testimony before Congress about public television totally turned around the sentiments of a judge who was extremely skeptical before Rogers started speaking. He wasn't forceful, he didn't yell or cry, he just shared his feelings, indicated his trust in the judge's conscience and explained the value of quality children's television programming in a way that was impossible to disregard.No one could deny the wholesome awesomeness of Rogers. No one. He was the real thing, tried and true, through and through and the world misses him greatly.It's quite well known that Rogers was the same man off-screen as he was on his show, and a video of his cast and crew pranking him once during his opening song offers a bit of delightful proof. Check this out:Seriously, he was the most delightful human. His laugh when he sticks his foot in the second shoe—priceless. His "Thanks ever so much"—epic. People have responded to the video on Reddit with gushing praise. "Mr. Rogers thanking that man for a delightful practical joke just changed something in me for the better," wrote one commenter. "Off to go thank my husband for some stuff.""What a magical person that just a clip of him having a laugh is making me well up," wrote another."My childhood was a scary place but when I turned on Mr. Roger’s, it all disappeared for awhile," shared another. "Thank you for being a light to so many children. May you Rest In Peace.""An amazing human being and an utterly sweet person," wrote another. "We should all aspire to be the person Mr. Rogers knew we could be."Indeed, we should.There may be many wonderful people who walk this earth, but there will never be another Fred Rogers. What a precious gift that we have so many hours of him on film to enjoy and share with generations to come.This article originally appeared on 6.24.22

Incredibly harsh. The post The two bands Quincy Jones hated: “No-playing motherfuckers” first appeared on Far Out Magazine.

From inspiring to terrifying. The post “I was hiding”: The artist that scared Stevie Nicks to death first appeared on Far Out Magazine.

The early years of the rock and roll animal. The post Rebel With A Cause: Why Lou Reed was expelled from the army reserves first appeared on Far Out Magazine.

One of his most cherished influences. The post The one musician Phil Collins always idolised: “Much better than I’ll ever be” first appeared on Far Out Magazine.

President Joe Biden has only a couple of months left in his term to try to secure his legacy, but he is doing little to help Kamala Harris’ bid for the presidency. In this episode of The Spectator P.M. Podcast, hosts Ellie Gardey Holmes and Lyrah Margo analyze Joe Biden’s presidency and the impact he has had on this election. Ellie and Lyrah also discuss what would have happened had Biden chosen not to run for reelection, and the ramifications of his contributions to Kamala Harris’ campaign. Tune in to hear their discussion! Read Ellie and Lyrah’s writing here and here. Listen to the Spectator P.M. Podcast on Spotify. Watch the Spectator P.M. Podcast on Rumble. The post <i>The Spectator P.M.</i> Ep. 89: Joe Biden Sits Embarrassed on the Sidelines appeared first on The American Spectator | USA News and Politics.

World-renowned pâtissier Dominique Ansel related a heartwarming story of family and food when we ran into him at the New York City Wine & Food Festival.

Both Popeyes and Raising Cane's offer chicken tenders and we ordered up a box from each to find out which restaurant is delivers the best bite for your buck.