February 13, 2015

Contrary to popular belief, the flight attendant life is not always glamorous.  Don’t get me wrong I love my career of choice, but there’s definitely more to it than meets the eye.

When you first start out…the pay is horrible! I’m talking below the poverty line.  Why people think flight attendants of all kind make bank is beyond me! Other than horrible pay, we start out on reserve.  Reserve is basically just being on call.  You sit around all day and wait for crew scheduling to call, or not call you for a trip.  Most days it’s true.  For the 12 hours you’re on call, your phone must be surgically attached to your body.  You eat with it, you sleep with it, you shower with it…you catch my drift.  Miss their call and don’t call back within ten minutes?! You’re screwed!  Once answered you have 2 hours to get ready and get to the airport and really start working!

Some months, you work every day you’re on call.  Other months, you may not get called at all.  Same pay with only half the work is fine by me.  The down side is having sat around for hours and hours just waiting every day for nothing.

Which leads me to my next point…

After sitting around day after day, not getting far from home for fear you’ll get called and not make it to the airport within the 2 hours…you can easily catch a case of cabin fever.  

Which is exactly how I and a fellow flight attendant from training, Alicia, felt after sitting on call and not getting used for a few days.  So when our real “off” day came, we had to make it count.  My idea of making it count goes something like this…

A few delicious Rosa Rita’s from a local Tex-Mex spot called El Real on Westheimer in Houston.  Only $4 each on Happy Hour had me sold!

Then the delicious Shrimp Boat Salad!  I’m a sucker for shrimp so it was a no brainer! Giant salad with fresh avocado, fresh pineapple, grilled shrimp and a jalapeño ranch dressing!  After all the unhealthy eating I do, this salad was a nice refresher.  My body thanked me no doubt.  Not gonna lie I had an a la carte cheese enchilada on the side…but this booty isn’t gonna maintain itself 😉

Being new to Houston, next I had to take Alicia to one of my new favorite spots in Houston, Tout Suite!  Thanks to my cousin for introducing me to it last week, I’ve now visited it three times since.  Oops!  But seriously…their macaroons are to die for!  I’ve never had macaroons anywhere else but I can’t imagine them being better!  And I’m not big on sweets of any kind so that’s saying something.  

Pictured above: Almond Macaroon, Vanilla Bean Macaroon and Strawberries and Cream!

Tout Suite is peaceful coffee shop located right beside downtown.  It’s got a decent view of Minute Maid Park and downtown when you look past the homeless people and trash under the freeway.  But then again that’s what makes it so…Houston!  Tout Suite, like Houston…doesn’t look like much on the outside, but really their’s so much more than meets the eye.  Tout Suite isn’t your local Starbucks…it’s so much better!  Coffee made to order, teas and juices all organic and made in house.  A full kitchen and all the homemade pastries and macaroons you could ever want!  At any hour you’ll see people sharing laughs and others working diligently on their computers.  It’s full of good vibes.  Definitely a spot to check out if you’re in the area, you won’t regret it!

Following dessert, it was time for the real adventure of the night!  When you’re balling on a budget you get creative.  So You Think You Can Drag…amateur drag night at Club Meteor is the perfect cheap entertainment!  No cover on Thursday nights and a good Happy Hour!  I got two drinks for only $6.  Hayyy!  

And it didn’t happen if there arent pictures to prove it…so we had to get a quick one with the lady of the night, Tatiana!  It was her birthday and she’s by far the best drag queen that performed.  But for real…why do some of these men look better as women than some real women do?! I’m jealous!  

Either way, it was an interesting sight to see at Club Meteor last night.  Not only are the drag queens hilarious to watch…the people watching alone is worth going for.  If you want a great laugh, alcohol not even required, check out Club Meteor on Thursday nights.  

From start to finish this day was one for the books…good food, good friends and a lot of laughs.  Now back to sitting reserve and playing the waiting game in the not so fly parts of the flight attendant life…

You can see a clip of Tatiana’s performance and other adventures on my Instagram: kelsiesweeten #TheFlyingFoodie #TheFlyLife