Iceland and Bhutan

You know how it is when you learn a new word and all of a sudden they appear everywhere? I am having a similar feeling about Iceland and Bhutan. Until recently, I never thought much about these two countries, but lately they have been showing up everywhere. Iceland first came into my head when we visited Chris and Mulzer at New Year's. They both lived there after college, and had books and magazines about Iceland in their apartment. I first heard about Bhutan and its policy of Gross National Happiness a couple of years ago when I read Michael Palin's Himalaya, but haven't thought about it much since. Well, in the last few weeks, they both appeared in National Geographic, Smithsonian, and a book I read, The Geography of Bliss. I also found a mystery novel at the library by an Icelandic author (I brought it home to read, but several bad reviews and a slight lack of interest mean I probably won't be reading it after all). Strange. Are they suddenly hip countries to talk about, the way a certain food becomes suddenly hip? Or am I just noticing them more?

Addendum: Now that Benjamin is interviewing for possible positions, the same thing has started happening with Little Rock and New Hampshire. Did you know that Adam Sandler was from NH? Or that Little Rock is considered one of the greener cities in the country?