Caroline McMahon

Writer. Winnipeg/Toronto. I probably know more about winning hockey games than Pierre McGuire does.

[caroline-mcmahon]

The Leaf's Game

Caroline pulled her Maple Leaf's jersey out of a lone box in her closet. She could hardly call herself a big fan, they definitely weren't doing well this season... or any other season for that matter. Her loyalty to her hometown Jets ran deep, as her father refused to support any other Canadian teams vowing that "he would wear the jersey of whatever team his sons were drafted by, but he would wear it over his Jets jersey, because nothing but that would touch his body." Caroline bought it day 2 when she moved to Toronto and she still hadn't told her dad she had. She threw on some sneakers and jeans, grabbed her purse and left in a rush. She knew it was strange to just offer up a random ticket to a sporting event to a random person in her building, but "hell," she thought, "I have one, who cares, I suppose." She took the stairs, as per usual, and slumped down into a chair when she reached the lobby and closed her eyes. Another long day at work interviewing bridezilla brats from Markham for ridiculous newspaper articles that no one would read. She sighed. Then she heard a voice. She opened her eyes, smiled and looked up. "Hi I'm Caroline!" she said extending her hand. "Let's go!" 

[caroline-mcmahon]

A Post to the Carlton Bulletin Board

Hi everyone!

My name is Caroline McMahon. I write those awful engagement pieces in the Globe and Mail, but one of the few perks of my job is that the office occasionally gets comped tickets to local movies, plays, sporting events, etc. I have a pair of Maple Leafs tickets for tomorrow night and none of my friends are available to go, so you're invited to take my extra ticket if you'd like to come with! Seats are at center ice, 5th row up. Let me know if you're interested!

Have a great rest of your day!

Caroline

[clitsources-blog]

[caroline-mcmahon]

Moving In

[rory-mcdougal-rp]

Olivia was a bit surprised to hear the younger woman insist, “You know usually when someone says it’s fine, most people wouldn’t really push the matter, but I suppose you can tag along.” Olivia though that the girl must have been on her way to get the articles preserved. Reading the name on the article she addressed Caroline “Well Caroline you might be delayed in getting them framed or putting them in a scrapbook. Unfortunate for you some of them appear to have gotten wet so they’re not exactly salvageable. Unless you have a hair dryer but even then you might end up starting a fire, though that’s as good a way as any to meet a fireman.”  

[caroline-mcmahon]

"At least let me give you a few dollars for them," pulling her wallet out of her pocket and pushing some bills into her hand. Caroline looked at the woman and  tried not to show her inner irritation at how much finding the articles at this moment in time had actually pissed her off. "I'm not actually keeping them, I'm throwing them away." The words sounded sad as they left her mouth, like she was actually losing a part of herself that believed she could do what she wanted in life and write legitimate journalism. "A hairdryer would be a good idea," she added not wanting the woman to feel bad, "but it won't be necessary," she said shaking her head. "A hot fireman would be a welcome addition to this day of hell though," she smirked. Maybe this woman wasn't so bad after all.

[chefbenjamincoen-deactivated201]

”Well Caroline you have no idea how great it is to meet someone who can appreciate my sarcasm. I think I’ve scared all the other guests away. I’m Morris your friendly new neighbour.” Before continuing their conversation Morris scanned the room for a waiter and waved him over. ”So Caroline I’m a weird old person who’s not made to like these kind of parties what’s your deal. Aren’t you a bit young to be so cynical? Before he could say anything else the waiter arrived at there table taking their order. “I will have a Jameson neat thanks.”

[caroline-mcmahon]

Caroline pondered this for a second. "Well first off, I don't think you're giving yourself enough credit for just how great of company someone who just genuinely doesn't give a shit can be," she said sipping her drink. "Second, that's exactly it. People don't take me seriously because 'I'm too young to understand anything,' she added, raising her eyebrows and pulling out a tone that indicated she thought this was bullshit. "So....tell me how you came to be the 'weird old person who’s not made to like these kind of parties,' using air quotes and another exaggerated tone. By now she could really feel the whiskey kicking in.

[caroline-mcmahon]

Moving In

[thecityofangelsrpg]

She could see that the girl was hurt a little and wanted to see if she could help her in some way. “First let me help you with this stuff.” She started to pick up all the papers that had flown everywhere. She noticed the majority of them were newspaper clippings assuming the girl must like the newspaper a lot. “You really don’t have to apologize, things happen. It’s not like you did it on purpose…” She said raising her eyebrows to watch the girls reaction to what she said. She really hoped she didn’t just throw herself down a flight of stairs during the daytime, or anytime really. “Let me help you at least, what were you doing?” She asked, taking a look at the stuff around her. “Just moving in too?” She could see how flustered the girl was, she knew how tough moving into a new place was since she was currently doing it herself.

[caroline-mcmahon]

Caroline was once again thankful at the willingness of this woman to actually help her out. "I was moving in and I came across all this stuff, which really is just garbage.... and I was just taking it to the curb, but I guess I slipped and well, here we are." Caroline gathered the clippings as fast as she could, hoping she wouldn't have to explain why she was carrying all of them around like a seemingly psycho chick who stalks people on crime shows or something. "My family kind of bailed on me, so I kinda am moving in by myself. And I have this strange thing with taking the elevator...and yeah." She realized she was rambling and that she should probably stop talking before she came across as crazy and escape from this situation as fast as possible. "I'm Caroline, by the way," she muttered.

[chefbenjamincoen-deactivated201]

”You have no idea how much fun I’m having right now, honestly I haven’t had this much fun in years.” He said overly enthusiastic. ”To much?” He smiled ”Probably to much, I’m sorry my sarcasm has reached the highest level I can’t control it anymore.” He laughed at himself he was really losing it but he may have found someone to share he sarcasm with so he just went with it. ”One thing that is good about this gathering, party thing is that there is alcohol and you can’t really screw up alcohol. Can I offer you a drink?” 

[caroline-mcmahon]

She smiled. "I mean, yeah, I really could sense your enthusiasm for borderline mindless chatter about... weather, the Leafs, road construction... from the other side of the room," she laughed. "But I'll agree, I think this is a little bit bizarre, like speed dating your neighbors or something, but hey, you're right, having a bar just makes it all the better." Someone just as cynical as her, this was refreshing. "I will more than happily accept a drink," she said as she glanced around the room, laughing. "I'm Caroline."

[caroline-mcmahon]

What was your first date like?

The date itself was cute. The real story was beforehand. It was a guy on my brothers' hockey team, so they were somewhere between pissed off and creeped out at the fact that he wanted to go on a date with me. He came to my house to pick me up and I wasn't ready yet, so he sat on the couch with my brothers and my dad who just happened to be cleaning his shot gun while he gave silent, dirty looks to him. I knew it was a joke, but he was genuinely creeped out my dad would actually kill him.

[caroline-mcmahon]

Sometimes I'm amazed that enough people read this bullshit that I have a job writing writing it because of them. 

[caroline-mcmahon]

Moving In

[rory-mcdougal-rp]

She must be from outside of Toronto, Olivia thought when she heard the young woman say she was from Manitoba. “I’m actually from the UK, London to be more specific.Usually we’re more about politeness than just apologizing.  I suppose there is something to the image of Canadians being some of the nicest people you can meet,” she said with a humorous tone. “It’s fine really, but if you insist I suppose you can come with me to market when I go purchase some more.  Olivia couldn’t help but give a bit of a smile at the other woman’s willingness to help. She though the girl would be good for a bit of entertainment and decided to see where things would go. Slowly she picked up a couple of the articles, “Are you a fan of this person?” 

[caroline-mcmahon]

"It's all about not pissing off the people around you," Caroline laughed, thankful for her response. "I can't tell how much it irritates me when people don't hold the door open for other people, oh, and I do insist I buy you a new carton." She was just about to pick up the last pieces of paper when the woman picked them up instead. "Shit," she thought. "Now I'm going to have to explain why I'm carrying newspaper articles about the Manitoba Moose I wrote in high school and why I'm still carrying them around at 25." "I, um, no. Not really. I mean, it's me. I wrote them a few years ago...well, like almost 10 years ago actually."

[caroline-mcmahon]

Favorite song or music?

All kinds. My mom teaches music and I grew up appreciating Britney and NSYNC as was as Handel and Mozart. Coldplay and Bastille are two of my favorite bands as of late!

[caroline-mcmahon]

why did you move to toronto

I like the pace of this city so much. Winnipeg is pretty boring and homogenous, Toronto is exciting and there's ALWAYS something to do here. Plus, I get to write here and that's my goal.

[caroline-mcmahon]

First thing you notice about someone?

Their demeanor. If you come off initially as a cold person or someone who's warm, I think that tells a lot about who you are as a person. That and how you treat people in the service industry (waiters, DMV workers ect.) 

[caroline-mcmahon]

What was your most prominent childhood experience?

I grew up playing hockey with my brothers on the pond behind my house. It's what I remember most about my childhood, and in general a day at the pond is one of my most fond memories. That and going to my dad's Jets games. Hockey has really shaped my life to what it is now. I'm a better person because I know how to work with people to get things accomplished: I learned that from hockey.

[chefbenjamincoen-deactivated201]

A couple drinks in Morris wasn’t really having fun trying to mingle. He sat down and looked at the people around him his neighbors. He wondered what there stories were there real stories the one no one knows about. Like how yesterday he was partying with a notorious gun dealer. How he has to lie about everything he does because knowing could get people killed. He was tired of working undercover and he thought meeting some new people could take his mind of it. But meeting new people just meant lying.  

[caroline-mcmahon]

Caroline scanned the room. Everyone seemed to be paired up, talking to one another. Making friends had rarely ever been an issue for her, but after the stress of moving in today, her embarrassing fall down the stairs earlier and just general attitude about life as of late, she wasn't feeling the social scene. What she truly needed was a drink. A glass of whiskey later, she saw a man sitting by himself at a table across the room with her seemingly matched enthusiasm. Hell, she thought, why not. She walked over and sat down across from him. "You look like you're having fun," she added amused and sarcastic. 

[caroline-mcmahon]

Moving In

[rory-mcdougal-rp]

As Olivia began to gather her things, she simply gave the girl a look. “Would you please stop saying sorry, have a bit of a back bone woman. Be firm, and apologize once,” she said suddenly instructing the other woman, after taking note of the timid way she had spoken. “Don’t worry about the eggs, I can always get another box, besides I’m not the one paying for all this the guy in Unit 1 is.” Looking over once more she added, “At least you don’t seem to have broken anything, I don’t have much time today to take someone to hospital and wait for them to be discharged.” Looking at her once more, Olivia added, “It may be two floors but I think you can make an exception when carrying things.”

[caroline-mcmahon]

"I'm s----," she stopped herself from being Canadian for a moment after realizing she was doing it again. "Thank you," she said instead. "I think it's a cultural "always be nice to your neighbor" Manitoba thing. Are you from around here? Cause people tend to apologize in any situation, even if it's not their fault. It's strange, I suppose. Are you sure about the eggs? I promise I can buy you more, my mom would kill me if she found out I smashed someone's eggs and didn't buy them replacements." She realized she was rambling and should gather her shit and escape before she embarrassed herself more. She began to gather the articles hurriedly. "I'll go see if the front desk has a mop too, this is a mess, I'd feel so bad if someone else had to clean this up!" she nervously laughed as she looked up and glanced at the woman, looking for some sort of a little look of kindness or empathy.

[caroline-mcmahon]

Moving In

[thecityofangelsrpg]

Gemma started getting a little restless after unpacking for most of the morning, hating that part like everyone else did. She decided to take a small break by taking a walk around down the street and back. She had the chance to take in everything around her while also gearing herself back up to continue. She used to go on walks in the middle of the night when she was younger just so she could clear her head. Especially after one of the many days her mother and father drove her crazy. Her friends would ask her if it was scary to be out that late by yourself, but to her it all seemed so peaceful. When everyone and everything was picking at you, you deserved a little time to yourself. She pulled on a a jacket, tights with a jeans over them, and her recently purchased boots. It was her first time living in a place other than america it felt exciting to the point of her wanting to explore every inch of Toronto. Even though it wasn’t as far as some places from where she grew up and went to school but it was far enough from her parents that they won’t try to visit as much. 

Canada wouldn’t have been her first choice as a place to live and teach for that matter. She had been looking for a good job at a place that seemed like the right fit for her and somehow she got an offer from the high school in Starling City. She came so close to not even taking it, thinking she had always wanted to teach in New York ever since she knew she wanted to be a teacher. Sometimes life throws you a curve ball like other’s say, so now she’s moving into her new apartment in Toronto. All she can think about is how unexpected this all was and how many more surprises might come up along the way.

Gemma was walking slowly down the street, taking in all the buildings and a few of the people that were out. There was a different feeling about this place compared to all the other places she’s lived. She liked how different once place was to the next, just by the smallest things. From the way people talked to how they acted about certain things, she would just take it all in. Finally decided to head back to her place so she could finish up before the end of the week. She was about to start making her way up the stairs when she heard something coming down the steps. It took a moment for her to realize what actually just happened, once she saw the girl down on the floor. She could see her face turning red and figured she was feeling a little embarrassed. Though laughing at her was the farthest thing from Gemma’s mind as she bent down to help her up. “Oh god, are you okay…did you hit your head?” She asked, her face scrunched up with concern. She would help her get to the hospital if she needed to or maybe just get her an ice pack.

[caroline-mcmahon]

Caroline closed her eyes in defeat, hoping that if she just tried hard enough she could just open them again and she wouldn't be in a stairway on her ass at some random woman's feet. She took a deep breath, opened her eyes and tried her best to manage a smile. Truly, she was thankful that the woman had reacted with such concern, rather than irritation. Still, it didn't make the fact that she had just klutz-ily fallen down a flight of stairs any less embarrassing. A metaphor for her career, she thought. "I-I-I'm sorry," she repeated again. "I'm okay, I think," she said standing and realizing she really wasn't okay. She could already feel the bruises forming on the left side of her body which she came down hard on. It didn't feel like anything was broken, but it definitely wasn't going to be pleasant trying to function like a normal human being for the next week or so.