Author: Overcoming Adversity | Buteau’s Odyssey

Emotional sensitivity, or neuroticism, refers to how easily negative emotions trigger you. If you’re on the higher side of this trait, you likely react more strongly to stressors and take longer to calm down afterward. You’re probably well-versed in anxiety, sadness, guilt, and frustration, and these emotions may interfere with how you pursue your goals. For example, strong anxiety might stop you from stepping outside your comfort zone in your career and personal life, or prevent you from making decisions for fear that you may choose poorly. Sadness might drain your motivation, making it harder to follow through on plans.…

Dead White by Alan Ryan (TOR, November 1983)I’m fond of saying I don’t have a to-be-read stack. I have a TBR wing. In that wing, a space actually somewhere between loft and storeroom just off my office, a lot of vintage paperbacks reside.Many of those are vintage horror paperbacks. Some have been acquired in used shops. Some I snagged new off the rack back in the day from Waldenbooks or Eckerd Drugs.My favorite used shop was a wonderful hole-in-the-wall called The Book Nook, owned and operated by a very nice lady named Lena Cortello. It was a long, narrow space…

Most people have had this experience: sitting in a doctor’s office, hearing a recommendation, and agreeing to move forward—often within minutes. It may seem like a simple, fact-based decision. But research shows choices are also influenced by how information is presented, who is giving the recommendation, and how a person is feeling at the time. The way a diagnosis is explained, the options that are offered, and whether patients feel comfortable asking questions all shape what they choose. To understand how this plays out in real-world care, I interviewed Marc P. Pietropaoli, MD, an orthopedic surgeon with more than 25…

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Interesting news coming from Paramount Pictures today, revealing that they’ve acquired the rights to a new film in the “Longlegs Universe.” While the original film was released by Neon, Paramount is taking on this project, which Osgood Perkins will write, direct, and produce. Details at the moment are slim, but it’s been confirmed that Nicolas Cage will star and produce. Additional producers include: “Brian Kavanaugh Jones (Range Media Partners); Perkins and Chris Ferguson, through their company Phobos; and Dave Caplan under his C2 banner, which originated the rights to the property.” Ahead of the new Longlegs film, we’ll see Perkins’…

Boys are naughty, girls are nice. Boys are tough, girls are soft. Boys are snips and snails and puppy dog tails; girls are everything nice. So go the tropes. And the research labs back them up. Women are a bit more agreeable, altruistic, empathetic, compassionate, and prosocial than men. The curves overlap, but neuroimages, physiological measurements, experimental tasks, and self-reports suggest that girls tend to be nicer than boys. History suggests otherwise. Not all girls are sugar and spice. Some have access to scramasaxes. Some hoard poison boxes. Some hire mercenary armies. Consider Livia Drusilla. On the 30th of October,…

Visit Universal Fan Fest Nights to Purchase Tickets Now! Universal Studios Hollywood is turning up the flavor this spring as Universal Fan Fest Nights returns with an all-new lineup of themed food, exclusive merchandise, and immersive experiences. The highly anticipated event kicks off on April 23 and runs select nights through May 16, 2026. Universal Fan Fest […]

As a critic, at least for me, there’s nothing better than discovering a fresh, exciting filmmaking voice. Enter James Ross II, with his efficiently creepy feature debut, Parasomnia. The film made a big enough splash to catch Shudder’s eye, which acquired the sleepy-scary nightmare prior to its Overlook Film Festival premiere. You can expect solid bones, tight performances, and a strong sense of how to orchestrate the crowd-pleasing scares that horror fans crave. For a first-timer, Mr. Ross should be damn proud. Jasmine Mathews stars as nervous sleeper Riley, who follows rigid bedtime rules. Thanks to a traumatizing childhood experience,…

It may be time to update your understanding about what aging is and is not. Recent discoveries are crushing long-held beliefs about aging and revising concepts about how our beliefs can impact how we age. Contrary to prevalent stereotypes, negative messages (internalized agism) about getting older no longer fit with groundbreaking discoveries that are shattering biases about aging. According to experts, with shifts in lifestyle and mindsets, we can redefine aging as we aspire to live with greater vigor and wellness in life’s second half (Levy & Slade, 2026; Stringer, 2026). New Study A new study recently published in Geriatrics…

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