How Did You Get Here?

Keywords are funny things. You type some mumbo jumbo into Google and BAM! you end up here, at the coolest blog ever. According to Google Analytics the following keywords have led visitors to me, Nattering Natalie.

1. "Mucinex Commercials"
This is hilarious to me for two reasons: 1. Who is Googling Mucinex commercials? and 2. I only mentioned them ONE time in ONE post back in 2005.
[see related post]

2. "Natalie Merchant"
Again, I only mentioned her once as a Notable Natalie, but this one I can actually understand.
[see related post]

3. "Apple HD Icons Tuxedo"
I honestly have no idea what this person was searching for. I mean, I just...I don't know.
[no post that could really be considered related...]

4. "Chuck Norris Jack-o-lantern Template"
This person clearly kicks ass. I hope they found that template. I would like to use it next year.
[see related posts here & here]

5. "Grey's Anatomy is Overrated"
Hell yes it is! I hate it. I hate its flipping guts. The only good thing about not having a roommate anymore is that I don't ever have to watch it again.
[see related post]

6. "I wanna l-l-l-lick you from your heard to your toes - lyrics"
Who really needs to learn these lyrics? Was the person who Googled this planning to karaoke this weekend?
[see related post]

7. "Kanye West Sunglasses Template"
Again, if someone carved this into a jack-o-lantern, I wish he or she would send me the template.
[see related post]

8. "Matthew McConaughey"
Told you so.
[see related posts here & here]

9. "Straight Guy Pageant Who Puppets"
I love that string of words. I love that it's almost a complete sentence, minus the verb. It's very Tarzan-speak.
[see related post]

10. "What's the Meaning of Pathetic"
Disclaimer: Nattering Natalie is NOT the definition of pathetic. By the way, this Googler probably could have consulted a dictionary on this one rather than my blog, but oh well.
[see related post]

Though there were other keywords, these were my top ten favorite phrases that led people to my blog. I hope some of you found that you liked it and returned , even you guy who's not sure if he's pathetic.

Dude, that's hilarious

Where are kitschy male-trends born? You know the ones I'm talking about. Unexplainable, popular phenomenons among the dudes of our world that suddenly arise with seemingly no prompting.

I remember the first time I observed this take place. In high school, out of nowhere, the funniest thing for boys to talk about was the mullet. Why?!? We did not live in an area where the mullet was often sported. And as I recall, no movie was released senior year called "Mullets." Still, dudes spent study hall huddled around the computer looking at pictures of mullets online.

Then came pirates. In college pirates were just HILARIOUS to reference. Soon after pirates followed ninjas. Then our boys thought to themselves "What about pirates fighting ninjas?" This was a whole new realm of this kitschy phenomenon we had not experienced to this point: the merging of two odd fixations into one. I'm surprised we didn't hear about pirates with mullets or swashbuckling ninjas.

Chuck Norris. There's another one. None of the men of my generation talked about Walker Texas Ranger for the eight or so years it was actually airing sans syndication. But then, as if almost by magic, Chuck Norris was a force to be reckoned with, appearing on t-shirts and suddenly more popular than Will Ferrell banging on a cowbell.

I understand how trends among women happen. Most of this is driven by fashion, magazines, media...the mass culture. Maybe I'm not as observant about the land of the dudes, but their infatuation with strange things seems to be more of an underground uprising.

The root of a trend among women has nothing to do with it's kookiness or kitschy value; it's really just about style. Recently while shopping for costume jewelry my sister, who was wearing a large golden strawberry around her neck, (quite a popular trend in charms right now) turned to me and said "Apples are the new strawberries." I stared at her in astonishment. I wanted to say "What a ridiculous statement," but before I got the chance the store owner turned to me impressed and exclaimed "She really knows her stuff!"

The new wacky obsession of dudes is just around the corner and I think I've nailed it down:

Doppelgangers are the new ninjas.

Remember, you heard it here first.
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Now playing: Sufjan Stevens - Chicago (Acoustic Version)
via FoxyTunes