I'm converting to Marshwiggleism.

I've been re-reading The Silver Chair, which is my least favorite Narnia book, but always makes me laugh because of Puddleglum, the Marshwiggle. Marshwiggles are described as tall creatures with webbed feet, long noses, and a decidedly pessimistic view of life. On that note, here are some of my favorite Puddlegum quotes:

"Good morning, Guests. Though when I say good I don't mean it won't probably turn to rain or it might be snow, or fog, or thunder."

"You could light the fire in the wigwam, and then we'd get all the smoke in our eyes. Or you could light it outside, and then the rain would come and put it out."

"Looks like we'll have cold weather for our journey. But you musn't let that make you down-hearted. Very likely, what with enemies, and mountains, and rivers to cross, and losing our way, and next to nothing to eat, and sore feet, we'll hardly notice the weather."

"And if we don't get far enough to do any good, we may get far enough not to get back in a hurry."

"Life isn't fricasseed frogs and eel pie."

"'You would feel more comfortable if only you thought how very much colder it would be later on and further north;' but this didn't cheer the children up at all."

"The bright side of it is that if we break our necks getting down the cliff, then we're safe from being drowned in the river."


And just let me say that this delightful outlook is much like my own right now, as I enter the home stretch of this abominable paper. I have found that the homestretch is often the hardest part, because you feel as though you've said everything that you want to say, but you still have five pages to go.