INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Mario Kart 8 was released in 2014 for the Wii U. If you're playing Mario Kart on the original Wii console, see the section on Mario Kart Wii. If you finish in 1st place after a full cup (not just a single track), you unlock a new character, randomly chosen from the list of free characters you haven't unlocked yet. Winning the same cup more than once won't unlock a new character, but a different engine class counts as a different cup. For instance, winning 50cc Mushroom Cup and 100cc Mushroom Cup unlocks two characters. Here are the characters that can be unlocked this way: Metal Mario Toadette Lakitu Rosalina Baby Rosalina Pink Gold Peach Iggy Koopa Roy Koopa Ludwig von Koopa Lemmy Koopa Larry Koopa Morton Koopa Jr Wendy O. Koopa Mii is a special character whose weight class is determined by your Mii avatar's current height and weight. There are many internet rumors about how to unlock Mii, but the character is most likely unlocked using the same random unlock as the other characters: winning cups. Unlock the next Grand Prix Cup by getting 1st place in the previous cup (set of four tracks). Once a cup is unlocked, you can play it in any engine class. There are two different progressions of cups, plus a special mode to unlock: Mushroom Cup Flower Cup Star Cup Special Cup Shell Cup Banana Cup Leaf Cup Lightning Cup Beat all eight cups in the 150cc engine class to unlock Mirror Mode for all cups, with every course left-to-right reversed. Connect your Wii U to the internet and purchase a DLC pack for more content. There is currently one DLC pack released, with a second one announced: DLC Pack 1 (available now): Characters: Tanooki Mario, Link, Cat Peach Cups: Egg Cup, Triforce Cup DLC Pack 2 (due for release May 2015): Characters: Isabelle, Dry Bowser, Villager (from Animal Crossing) Cups: "Crossing Cup," "Bell Cup" (may not be final names)

SUMMARY: Use this guide for the Wii U game. Unlock characters by getting 1st place in Grand Prix Cups. Unlock Mii. Unlock new cups. Purchase additional characters and cups.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Before you go inside your house, try to get as much mud as possible off the shoes. Wipe and stomp your feet on the grass. You can also try wiping your shoes on a rug. Just try to get as much mud off as you can. As soon as you come in from outside, take off your shoes. Let the mud dry before you try to brush it off. This can help thick mud come off easier. Choose a shoe brush, nail brush, or toothbrush. Brush the dried, caked mud to remove as much as you can. Try to brush quickly and with pressure to get the mud off. For those hard to get crevices on the bottom and sides of your shoes, use a chopstick to pick out the mud. Drag the pointy end through the crevice to pull out dirt that is caked in. You can also try to use a toothpick if you don't have chopsticks. If the mud is still caked on and won't come off, try using a garden hose. Spray the outside of the shoe with the direct spray of the hose. The force of the water from the hose may help dislodge mud from the shoe.

SUMMARY: Wipe your shoes off on the grass. Let the mud dry on the shoes. Use a brush to remove caked on mud. Use chopsticks to pick out mud. Use a hose.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Pliers are the one of the worst tools to bring into contact with your instrument. They can scratch and bend your mouthpiece, and using them might even start to break apart your instrument at the mouthpipe. Most band directors are equipped with repair supplies to help fix minor instrument problems. They will likely have a mouthpiece puller that can be used. Your band director can also inspect your mouthpiece to make sure its shape is correct. Someone who has been playing brass instruments for a long time will likely have more experience with removing stuck mouthpieces. Ask them for assistance in implementing the best techniques for removing your mouthpiece if it gets stuck. Most music repair shops will use a mouthpiece puller or other mechanism to remove a mouthpiece. Often they will not charge for this service, since it's a simple procedure and can be completed quickly. Call before you go to make sure they can pull out your mouthpiece for you. Ask the repair shop to clean your instrument and inspect your mouthpiece to ensure that its shape is correct.

SUMMARY: Never use pliers or other tools on your instrument. Ask your band director for help. Ask an experienced brass instrument player for help. Take your instrument to a repair shop.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: The first step in setting any goal is deciding what you want. Most people have a general sense of things they want. It might be happiness, health, wealth, or a better relationship with your spouse. Your first tasks is translating that into some things you'd like to actually accomplish. A good place to start is defining your terms. If you want to be happier, think about what happiness means to you. What does a happy life look like? What would you need to do to be happy? It's okay to be general at this stage. You might decide happiness, for example, means having a fulfilling career. Your general goal might be to get a job you find personally satisfying. You may have several goals at this stage, some long-term some short term. It's a good idea to write them down. Before you can determine if a goal is realistic, you have to make that goal specific. This will provide greater clarity in terms of what you actually would have to do to achieve it. Specific goals are also more motivating and achievable than vague ones. Your task at this stage is to take your general ideas and get as specific as you possibly can. For example, imagine you goal is to start a new, more satisfying career. At this stage, you need to decide what career would be most satisfying to you. You might decide you'd like to become a professional musician. That's a great start, but you can get more specific. What style or styles of music do you want to play? What instrument or instruments do you want to play? Do you want to be a solo artist, or play in a band or orchestra? Determining how challenging a goal is might require some research, if you aren't already familiar with the process. The more you know about the process the better. As you do your research, try to answer questions like: What skills will you need to learn? What lifestyle changes will you need to make? How much will it cost? How long will it take? To determine if a goal is realistic, you must know exactly how a goal would be achieved. In this step, you need to break your goal or goals into parts or steps. Breaking your goal down into subgoals will also help you make a plan for achieving it later on. It's a good idea to write the steps down as you go. For example, imagine your goal is to become a professional cello player with a classical orchestra. In general terms, this goal breaks down into several steps. You'll need to buy a cello, if you don't have one. You'll need to get very good at playing it. This will probably require taking lessons. You probably will even want to attend a conservatory or other music school or college. Along the way, you'll probably need to learn some musical theory. Then, you'll need to get a job playing for an orchestra. This will mean at least one (and probably several) auditions. Depending on where you live, this might require moving to a town with a professional orchestra.

SUMMARY:
Think about what you want to achieve. Get specific. Do some research. Determine the steps.