Working Out – Wrapping up 2016

Working Out

2016 was not a good year for me. I did not have anywhere near the pool or running time that I had in 2015. 2017 is off to an even worse start (more like middle now…) Life transitions can be hard on your routine and a new living space and a new job have both wrecked my workout schedule. This has been compounded by me having difficulties in finding the motivation to workout consistently.

These are areas I’ve identified for improvement…

Anyway here is my working out broken down by month for 2016. Miles are for distance ran and yards are for how much I swam.

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Caspian Tiger – It Was Very Good

Caspian Tiger
Caspian Tiger at the Berlin Zoo, 1899

Caspian Tiger (Panthera tigris virgata)

The Caspian Tiger was native to the sparse forests and river corridors east of the Black Sea, around the Caspian sea and extending eastwards through Turkey, Iran, and through Central Asia into western China. The Caspian Tiger averaged 10 feet in length. Males were much larger than females with an average weight of 450 pounds. Females were averaged 250 pounds.

The Tiger’s coat was brighter and more uniform than that of the Siberian tiger. The stripes were narrower, fuller and more closely set than that of other tiger species. Pure black patterns were found only on the head, neck, the middle of the back and at the tip of the tail. The contrast between the summer and winter coats was sharp, Caspians had the thickest fur of all tigers.

Caspian Tiger
Preserved Caspian tiger Azerbaijan, Farrokh Mostofi, 2002

The Caspian Tiger almost made it into the 21st century. The last documented and confirmed killing was recorded in 1970 in Turkey. The last sighting of the animal in the wild was in 1998 in the wilderness between Afghanistan and Tajikistan. The animal was driven to extinction through over-hunting of them and their prey. The conversion of their habitat into farmland also contributed to the species’ demise.

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Carpathian Wisent – It Was Very Good

Carpathian Wisent
Caucasian Wisent – A close cousin to the Carpathian Wisent.

Carpathian Wisent (Bison bonasus hungarorum)

The Carpathian Wisent was a subspecies of European Bison native to the Carpathian mountain range, Moldavia, and Transylvania.

The Carpathian Wisent resembled the European Bison in that its coat was dense and dark brown to golden brown in color.  The neck was short, maned, and thick, topped by a shoulder hump.  The head is carried relatively high.  The horns, found in both sexes, projected outwards and curved upwards and slightly forwards.

The encroachment of humans and their domesticated animals on its range, as well as increased hunting, lead to the extinction of the species. The last Carpathian Wisent was shot in Maramureș in 1852.

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Video Games Completed – Wrapping up 2016

Video Games Completed 2016

Since I began tracking this the number of video games completed has gone down year after year, except for the outlier year of 2014 (what was going on that year?) I only played 36 games in all of 2016. That number isn’t very large but the quality of game I played this year was very high. The Uncharted Series, Dark Souls 2 and 3, the new Kirby, Dragon Quest Builders (my Game of the Year). I may not have the time I once did to pursue this hobby but the time I can dedicate to it is being taken up with some really phenomenal work.

I may not have the time I once did to pursue this hobby but the time I can dedicate to it is being taken up with some really phenomenal work. Browsing through this list I’m hard-pressed to find a game that I was disappointed in or found objectively bad.

With that here is the list of video games completed in 2016:

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