Back to the grind

My first night home after the sunny vacation in Florida and my mother calls hysterically informing me she didn't hear from me for an entire week and that she was worried something might have happened to me. Funnily enough, before leaving, I spoke to her and let her know I would be on vacation. Does she have no memory, or does she have selective hearing? Either way, it's a sign she doesn't care much about me.
She complained about not having money and about the hardships she must endure. I was very tired and couldn't listen and I cut the conversation short. I dreamt I was locked in a house with her and Father and I was hiding. The house was beautiful, full of antique furniture. At the end of the dream, my Father actually found me and I beat him up with a shovel. Lots of anger towards both my mother and father in this dream.
Today I took care of small chores. I found time to continue reading a guilty pleasure book. It is the "unauthorized" biography of Angelina Jolie, by Andrew Morton. The guy is a good writer. I could see him writing novels of a certain depth. However, he wrote this book about Angelina, and although I am against all this celebrity glorification culture, I couldn't resist buying it. I have insecurities about the way I look, and I blame Angelina for being too beautiful and setting the standards too high. One good look at her naked body in Wanted and I feel awful about my big behind. Also, the mere fact that this biography is "unauthorized", implies it might contain some secret the tabloids left out. "Unauthorized" is from the same category of words such as "rebel", "dangerous", "uncommon", "wild". It fits the public image Angelina herself created, with the help of the media. Angelina is portrayed like a deeply disturbed ex model, an anorexic junkie, with abandonment issues. Andrew Morton took the time to talk to various psychotherapists, to help map out Angelina's erratic behavior. He describes her personality from crib to fame and points out she is a very ambitious girl, with an appetite for destruction. He doesn't say anything new about Angelina, but tries to establish a pattern in her publicly observed behavior, so that us, common folk, the readers, can relate to her. The truth is that Angelina is exceptional. She doesn't fit patterns. Exceptional human beings don't fit patterns. Those who survived traumas and raised above their own condition will always be regarded as "disturbed", but that doesn't take away from the fact that these people inspire generations of people with their life choices. I'm sure that if I personally knew Angelina, I wouldn't like her and I wouldn't be friends with her. We have very different life perspectives. Yet, the fact that I wouldn't like her, doesn't stop me from respecting her.
I should stop reading this book. I'm being caught in the tabloid haze.