Return to Camp Covid

A tale for the ages

Catch up on the rest of the story and read the tales of 'Camp COVID' in order: 1. Alive and Well at Camp Covid 2. Adventures at Camp Covid 3. Life and Times at Camp Covid 4. Enlightened at Camp Covid 5. Leaving Camp Covid 6. Camp Covid Epilogue 7. Return to Camp Covid NEWS: Calgary Herald, Global News, CBC News

July 9, 2021 — Here I am, back at CAMP COVID but this time I have company—Jennifer ‘Panda’ MacLean is with me. As you may recall Jennifer is a healthcare worker (and partner in creative crime) who caught COVID nearly six months ago even though she is fastidious about masks and hand-sanitizing and following rules. I had to live at my studio for a week before the amazing people at Alberta Health Services set me up at the Ramada Plaza Downtown Calgary, a place I lovingly called CAMP COVID.

Didn’t we get vaccinated? What’s going on?

Jennifer and I have each had both of our vaccinations (she is Team Moderna, I am Team Pfizer). We’re not sick, and Jennifer’s health is slowly improving, but she is still navigating through long-Covid symptoms. On the plus side her sense of taste and smell is coming back, but mint tastes like potpourri, and gin & tonic tastes like pencil-shavings, or so I’m told. (Jennifer here - to answer your question - No, I have never eaten pencil shavings. Or potpourri. But at this point I’m considering it to see if they taste like gin & tonic or mint.)

No, I have never eaten pencil shavings. Or potpourri. But at this point I’m considering it ~ Panda

We’re here at the invitation of Ramada Plaza’s Sales Director, Marnie Crowe, to enjoy an evening of music at their Hotels Live Balcony Concert Series to “make some new Ramada Plaza memories.” Jennifer never got to experience the Ramada Plaza personally as she was too busy trying her best not to die alone at home; meanwhile I was locked away in a room on the seventh floor of the Ramada Plaza doing my best not to go crazy. Jennifer clearly succeeded, I did not.

It’s been a weird ride.

Everyone’s story is different but has similar seasoning. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t know someone who caught COVID-19. It’s safe to say you’ve also heard first-hand stories from people who didn’t take it seriously, who then caught it only to land in the ICU nearly dead—young people with no “comorbidities'”—and said they wished they took it seriously. I’ve learned so many new words during the pandemic.

Honestly, we had no idea how much we needed this night out; just to get out and to see live music again was earth moving.

So, when Marnie invited us to a fun and safe night out to make some new pandemic memories we jumped at it. Honestly, we had no idea how much we needed this night out; just to get out and to see live music again was earth moving.

The show is put on by HotelsLive.ca that made history by bringing safe, live events to the pandemic (with no reported transmission of COVID-19), and created much needed economic support to hospitality staff, musicians, and concert support staff during this “unprecedented” time. Not to mention over 10,000 grateful fans who have enjoyed 11 months of shows over the past year. I put quotes around “unprecedented” not because it’s a new word to me, but it is now a word I loathe, so the quotes are there to show my derision, not unlike the words “New Normal” and “Socially-Distanced”. Blarg.

The show we were invited to featured Pink 4reud, a Pink Floyd tribute band, with a kick-ass opening act by Gil Tougas who rocked the hell outta that stage. There was so much awesome happening on that stage all night that down on street level we could see safely-spaced throngs of people starting to line the sidewalks and rocking out to a band they could only hear and feel.

Coming up on July 23, 2021 in Calgary is SANDMAN, the only sanctioned Metallica tribute band and you can still get tickets here. For some reason this makes me think of BLOOD POLLUTION, the Steel Dragon tribute band, but this is how my brain is I guess.

It was like having private box seats to an amazing concert.

How do these shows work, you ask? The main audience hangs out on the balconies of their individual rooms—numbers are limited to a maximum of six per balcony (depending on the size of the balcony), so it was like having private box seats to an amazing concert.

Speaking of private box seats

No sooner had we checked in at the pre-arranged time (staggered check-in to prevent the risk of transmission) and walked into our room when two highly-efficient, super-friendly, and masked hotel staff rolled in a cart of food and beer and set it on our table. Good god, the hospitality suite on the ninth floor (our room) is one of the biggest hotel rooms I’ve ever been in. It’s nearly as big as our house in Kensington.

The only downside to watching the concert from our balcony was the tempting pool seven stories below. I don’t know if you’ve ever seen that scene in Get Him To The Greek when Aldous Snow jumps into the pool, but that looked so cool, and it looks deep enough. 5’ is deep enough, right? Oh wait, Aldous was only one story up, and didn’t he smash his arm and nearly bleed to death in the pool? Nevermind, I’ll just stand here and try not to get vertigo.

Someone down on the main pool deck had a different idea about my vertigo and was armed with a bubble machine. A miracle of bubbles (like a murder of crows but soapier) found their way up and are swirling around our balcony before zipping off into space—all the while a grid of nine wide-screen televisions are projecting an army of marching hammers across the square to the sound of screaming guitars and pounding drums “in a bunker here behind my wall, waiting for the worms to come”. What the hell was on that cheese plate? Pink 4Reud. Hot damn. What a show.

Brad’s got an easy-going manner and grace. He's seen some shit. Brad’s got nothing to prove.

I know what you’re thinking: “What about Brad?” Well my friends, Brad The Recalcitrant Desk Lamp™ is back, baby! He’s back in action and fulfilling his destiny as one of three incredible desk lamps making the world a little brighter in room 905, of the Ramada Plaza Downtown Calgary. He has moved up in the world to the top floor and into a suite after our adventures! You can tell he’s got a bit more swagger now, and it’s not undeserved—he’s been moved to the prime desk lamp spot beside the bed next to the alarm and the phone, as befitting of his status. This is the top desk lamp position, coveted by all lamps great and small, in all rooms across the land. The other lamps look up to him as the leader he has become, and I’m pleased to report he hasn’t let this go to his head. Brad’s got an easy-going manner and grace. He's seen some shit. Brad’s got nothing to prove.

The Ramada brand promises "We are committed to creating caring experiences for every person, every time, and strive to make our guests feel truly refreshed and restored during their visit."

The Ramada Plaza has some of the best brand stewards I’ve ever encountered. Not only do they live up to the promise but they take it to heart by being real and relatable and fun and everything I look for in a home when I’m away from home. Marnie and her team had little notes posted around our room to call back to my original "Camp Covid" stay including a note on Brad's base that says "I Miss You".

Each post-it note had Jennifer and I laughing and tearing up a little. It’s the little things that matter so much. Marnie came up to see that we got settled in okay and to chat for a few minutes. It was a joy to meet her in person and finally be able to share and connect through our hilarious adventures in an otherwise shitty time in history.

Hotels Live started in Calgary and has been the perfect pivot in an uncertain time. The concert was brilliantly produced. The bands top-drawer. The concert-goers are respectful and enthusiastic.

People swarmed the sidewalks on their scooters and before you knew it the streets were full of dancing people (even observing the six foot spacing convention), and some guy down there was holding his cellphone up with his flashlight on and waving it back and forth, I did the same and for a few minutes we are all connected rocking out to Pink 4reud, while hurtling through space on this wet and brittle blue ball spinning at 460 meters per second.

This night was one I will never forget. Thank you, Marnie and team. Thank you, Ramada.