These are radish people.

I've always been a doodler.  I can't say I'm a particularly gifted artist in the grand scheme of things.  I can't sketch things in photographic detail.  I can't really move paint or pixels around in a manner that elicits a great emotional reaction.  However, what I can do is get a point across with simple pictures.  And I can do it fairly quickly.

Teaching English as a second language for the last half-decade has brought this skill back to the forefront of my life.  I use it constantly in classes to, as I mentioned, get the point across.  Sometimes I feel like my job is like a giant game of Pictionary.  I certainly enjoy it.  I've become notorious for my illustrations among my friends, colleagues, and students.

For many years, I mostly accomplished these tasks through "stick-figure theatre".  However, after working in Japanese elementary schools, I became enamored with the rather endearing style of comic figures that many of the children liked to draw.  This style of cute, pudgy "stick figure" is referred to in Japanese as 大根人間: literally "radish people".  They do look like daikon radishes come to life.  I began to emulate their drawing, and now I can't really draw anything else.  I just love the little things.

In any event, this blog will serve as an outlet for various silly illustrations that are, perhaps, not suitable for my students.  So if you like profanity and cute doodles, have I got a blog for you!