For many years I avoided the watching the Olympics, pooh-poohing the crass commercialism and treacly human interest stories shot in soft focus and accompanied by tenderly-inspiring piano ballads. And while I still find all that crap annoying, I must confess I enjoy watching the winter games. Except for the melodramatic horror show that is ice dancing. I like the fact that for two weeks, the living rooms of America are filled not with stupid reality shows and hackneyed crime dramas, but with obscure Nordic sporting events featuring athletes with names like "Roar." (See Roar Ljoekelsoey, ski jumping).

It seemed only appropriate that I did a cartoon on the Slowlympics. It occurred to me that someone has probably done this concept already, but I couldn't find it on the web, and as the creator of a strip called "Slowpoke" and practitioner of slowpokedom, I figured I have a special license to do it anyway.

The Finnegans Wake reference is drawn from real life. My grandmother-in-law, an avid Joyce fan, has been reading and dissecting Finnegans Wake for several years with a friend. I hear she has seen the cartoon and is delighted.