Post by DarkPhoenix on Apr 29, 2008 15:06:17 GMT -6
Many readers have asked me questions about Oakdale, such as if the weird coffee shop exists. Well, ladies and gents, all your questions will be answered!
Oakdale, while it's meant to be a sort of "any town" (thus the typical-sounding name), is essentially a fictionalized version of the area I grew up in. Specifically, I'm from the southeastern part of Louisiana and grew up in a suburb that's less than an hour's drive away from New Orleans.
The weird coffeeshop? Well, that's based off of Z'Otz, a coffeeshop I used to go to a lot. And yes, it does have a lot of really weird decorations and mismatched furniture.
The high school? Very roughly based off of the high school I attended, except we wore uniforms. That's all I'm going to say.
The college? Yep, roughly based off of the college I currently attend. However, none of my friends are professors (although one is a peer counselor for psychology). But yes, my work conditions ARE that bad.
As for why people aren't surprised to see celebrities or meet their kids? Well... the area I live in, we're used to celebrities either living down here, making movies down here, or hanging out here. In fact, I used to pass by Fats Domino's house on the way to my uncle's house (this was before the hurricane, obviously) all the time. Neither of my parents are celebrities, although I am distantly related to a baseball player (something like third cousins or something). The parents of a classmate of mine are sort of local celebrities (and very creepy looking, at that). Oh, and one of the professors at my college is running in a local political race.
Oakdale, while it's meant to be a sort of "any town" (thus the typical-sounding name), is essentially a fictionalized version of the area I grew up in. Specifically, I'm from the southeastern part of Louisiana and grew up in a suburb that's less than an hour's drive away from New Orleans.
The weird coffeeshop? Well, that's based off of Z'Otz, a coffeeshop I used to go to a lot. And yes, it does have a lot of really weird decorations and mismatched furniture.
The high school? Very roughly based off of the high school I attended, except we wore uniforms. That's all I'm going to say.
The college? Yep, roughly based off of the college I currently attend. However, none of my friends are professors (although one is a peer counselor for psychology). But yes, my work conditions ARE that bad.
As for why people aren't surprised to see celebrities or meet their kids? Well... the area I live in, we're used to celebrities either living down here, making movies down here, or hanging out here. In fact, I used to pass by Fats Domino's house on the way to my uncle's house (this was before the hurricane, obviously) all the time. Neither of my parents are celebrities, although I am distantly related to a baseball player (something like third cousins or something). The parents of a classmate of mine are sort of local celebrities (and very creepy looking, at that). Oh, and one of the professors at my college is running in a local political race.