Heading to the Balkans!

Just a quick news update that will help explain why I've been pretty busy here lately, and updates have been a little bit sporadic: I am being deployed to Kosovo!

I can talk about it now because it has been announced, families and employers know about it, and so on. I've had to sit on this news for a bit, which I am sure is understandable.

My deployment is not immediately; I actually leave for Fort Cavasos in Texas for about a 2-month train-up, then we go to Pristina sometime in October. I will rotate back to the USA in October of 2025, so my total time on active duty will be about 1 year.

This isn't a "combat" deployment; this is a NATO peacekeeping mission. In 1999, there was a flare-up of violence between Serbia and Kosovo, and since then NATO and EU Command has maintained a peacekeeping mission there while the two countries sort out their differences politically. 

So what does this mean comic-wise? 

Some plans have to be put on hold or at least slowed down-- that's why there haven't been many Empires updates recently. I am going to have to hurry to get Book #4, "Extended", done in the next couple of weeks (if possible), my Vox Noctem project may have to limp along until summer, and I have to squeeze everything in between a bunch of other schools and train-ups I need to attend over the course of the next few months. For example, most of January and February are going to be at a leadership academy. 

On the other hand, this means a whole new adventure for BOHICA Blues! 

I am going to take a vacation from BOHICA Blues for a few days and kick off a new adventure on Monday, January 1st, with Juni and Emma being deployed to Kosovo, so we can follow them as they mirror some of the experiences I have while over there. They'll meet another, more experienced Intel sergeant that we met a long, looonng time ago in one of Joe Rock's adventures. 

I'm looking forward to it, and I hope you are too.

Once I have an idea what my schedule is going to look like, I will be able to make more plans-- but until I know more, I need to concentrate on basics and not over-extend myself. I will continue to post here of course, with updates, comics, and projects, but there may be a day here or there where I don't post or I am late, or I am not on my usual Monday-Wednesday-Friday schedule.  I do have doodles loaded until mid-April, so that won't be interrupted. 

Anyhow, that's the big news, so until later... keep things random!