What the Wii U needs is a kick in the pants

Making the Wii U Relevant

I’m a big Nintendo fan. Always have been, always will be, and those of you who have read this blog regularly know. But with their latest console—the Wii U—they’ve blown a head start and have already been counted as out of the race by many technology pundits. The Nintendo 3DS started out is the same way, but with a price cut and release of some highly-anticipated games, it’s taken off. The main difference here, however, is that the 3DS never really had any competition (the Vita is a joke). The Wii U can go the way of the 3DS instead of the GameCube (great titles, but not very many customers to enjoy them)—but it’s up to Nintendo to make that decision. Nintendo needs to make some things happen at E3, and beyond.

What Nintendo needs to do for E3:

Bring out the first party heavy hitters—but not Mario
Let me get this out of the way first: no more Mario. We’ve sen a ton of him throughout 2011 and 2012, and Nintendo has plenty of other franchises it can pull from to excite fans and the media. Give us some more information—and release dates— for Yoshi’s Yarn, the next Smash, and the next Kirby. Best of all, throw us all for a loop: let’s see F-Zero.
Many current console owners would be appeased by some new demos to play; we’re impatient, and Nintendo owes us. We bought the console early, and have been let down by no major releases since launch. It’s now April. I think that Nintendo should let us download the first few minutes of Wind Waker HD and give us a glimpse of what Yoshi’s yarn can look like.

“Hardcore” fans need to be addressed, if only because we’re the loudest and can make or break a system’s popularity. We know that Nintendo scored on Bayonetta 2. But what’s it look like? What’s the story? What is the gameplay like, especially for those of us that haven’t played the first one? We’ve gotta see that in action. Nintendo has to deliver on this, and tell us when it will be available—hopefully Summer 2014. Metroid is Nintendo’s first-party hardcore experience, and we’ll all be happy to see a return to Prime shape in Samus’ house. Letting us fly her ship between planets, chase down the Galactic Federation or rival bounty hunter, and switch between first and third person modes I think will be the future for this franchise. I think. Samus should have a voice—Nintendo should have at least one character that isn’t an empty shell—but she need to be written and portrayed well. She doesn’t have to say much. Retro, I think, could handle this balance well.

2. We Need Retro
Arguably, the strongest thing Nintendo has up its sleeve is whatever Retro Studios is working on. Widely and deservedly acclaimed for the Metroid Prime series as well as the Donkey Kong Country Returns reboot, anything they touch is essentially gold. Rumors have their new project to be one of two franchises: Metroid or Star Fox. Though I’m a huge Metroid fan and greatly revere what the team has done in reviving that series, it’s Star Fox that needs the revival treatment. It’s been 8 years since the last installment—interestingly, the same length of time between Super Metroid and Retro-developed Metroid Prime. Also note that both franchises skipped a Nintendo home console. It’s time for Star Fox to get its due. I don’t know what angle Retro can approach the game from, but I know that everyone believes that they know what they’re doing.

3. Third Parties
We need to know that certain third party titles are coming to the platform. We know that Nintendo has never been strong in this regard, but it would certainly be nice to see. Let’s have Nintendo fighting for us in the background: where’s the Mass Effect Trilogy? Where’s Bayonetta 1? Even going back on some last-gen classics would do well with those of us who only one one console—Nintendo’s.

Nintendo is going to have a lot of competition at E3, and new hardware will be all of the buzz. Only top-notch software is going to allow Nintendo to steal the limelight, and boy do they need it.

Long term, the Wii U needs a number things to happen: drop the basic set or include Nintendo Land with it, introduce a serious marketing campaign, and partner up. The basic set is confusing, a poor value, and useless. Make the deluxe available in white or black. I personally wanted a white console, but didn’t want to get ripped off. Additionally, include Nintendo Land with all hardware sold. Nintendo Land helps players to ‘get it’. Nintendo needs as many people to ‘get it’ as possible. I’ve barely seen any ads for the Wii U. Make it clear that this is new, badass, and is a gaming machine. The precious few ads I’ve seen haven’t done that. This is where Nintendo needs to be willing to break the bank: no console sales, no revenue. It takes spending money to make money, and Nintendo has the dough. They just need to direct it in the right way. Lastly, as I’ve said in previous posts, Nintendo’s history is it’s greatest strength. Partner up to allow us to experience this history in new ways. The best example of this is Tekken Tag Tournament 2, Wii U Edition.

If all of this happens (and I hope to God it will), then no one will worry about Nintendo; they’ll be the talk of the town and the industry’s darling. But more than virtually every company (but Apple), Nintendo’s fate is in it7
s own hands.

Problem Solved. [Kinda]

A couple of days ago, I wrote “The Sad State of Nintendo Gaming“. That article was prompted by my frustrations in playing Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 on the Xbox 360 with my cousins and siblings (that’s the eloquent way of saying that I got absolutely decimated on a repeated basis). At the end of the article, I had this to say:

“But with that, I’d like them to be able to stick with their standard dual-analog format with the Pro Controller, and I could simply use a Wii Remote and Nunchuk combo…

Let me end this post with my look at my dream console: A Nintendo-branded console in full HD console with a modern wireless communication network between consoles that get full ports of killer games on other consoles. And one that does so while providing innovation, customizability, and backwards-compatibility. Is that too hard to ask?”

Well, the day when that happens won’t be here for a while. But the day when GoldenEye 007 for the Wii comes out has already come and gone. I did some research on the best FPS on the Wii, and GoldenEye reigned victorious. I picked up a copy yesterday, and am already a big fan. And the best part? The game’s controls are bring-your-own-controller-and-customize-it-to-your-hearts-content. Wii Remote + Nunchuck, Wii Zapper, Classic Controller Pro, GameCube controller… eat your heart out. Seriously. I’ve been tinkering with the precise controls constantly.

On a slightly related note, I found the limited-edition Metroid Prime Trilogy in GameStop today. It was swiftly picked up along with GoldenEye. Trilogy uses the Wiimote + Nunchuck combination that I love so much for first-person shooters; I believe that it has the perfect control scheme. Prime Trilogy really takes all of the thinking out of navigating with Samus. If I can extend that to Bond… I’ll be invincible (well, as invincible as I can be without Super Missiles…).

It helps that GoldenEye has an excellent multi-player mode; that means that I can invite some friends over next year and take care of ‘em with ease, whether they’re dual-analog or not. Unfortunately, the Wii U won’t have support for GameCube controllers (which makes sense; it did come out in 2001); the Cube controller was one of the most comfortable and well-designed ever—especially with the asymmetric ABXY layout. Fortunately, the Wii U Pro Controller  looks to fix some of the shortcomings of the ‘Cube controller (no Z equivalent on the left side, no select button, small C-Stick nub)—and it will be wireless.

Get ready. Oddjob’s gunning for you.

The iPhone 5 is here

…and it’s called the iPhone 4S. People. C’mon. Few things irritate me more than when people ask me when the iPhone 5 will come out. I [maybe a bit flippantly] reply that “It’s here now; pick it up at any place that sells iPhones.”

It’s important to note that with the iPod and Mac lines, Apple does not append the name with the generation number for its devices (e.g. the iPod nano 5). It simply refers to these machines in official documentation as the product name with the generation number in parentheses (e.g. iPod nano (5th generation)). It’s simply the iPhone line and the iPad 2 that break this pattern. And we all know that Apple is a company of pattern.

People’s confusion stems mostly due to Apple’s iPhone naming system. The original iPhone was simply “iPhone”. But when the second generation came out, it was called the iPhone 3G. This was because this was the first iPhone that had 3G networking; everyone knew that it wasn’t the third iPhone. The third phone was called the iPhone 3GS. Easy to remember, and it had the “3″ in it too. Enter the iPhone 4: one of the few Apple products that has its generation number in its official title (along with the iPad 2). Now, before the Apple enthusiasts caught on to Apple’s tick-tock strategy, there were a number of debates on the Apple enthusiast corner of the Internet over whether the next iPhone would be named “iPhone 5″ or “iPhone 4S”. Apple proved that the 4S camp guessed right.

When the iPhone 3GS came out in 2009, it started a tick-tock pattern for Apple. An overhaul of a product would come out, and then Apple would refine and perfect it next generation and append the name accordingly. This was also apparent in Mac OS X with Snow Leopard succeeding Leopard  in 2009 and Mountain Lion succeeding Lion in 2012.

But for some reason, people stopped making sense. “Oh, the iPhone 5 didn’t come out this year, they released the 4S. So I guess it’ll come out next year!” That makes no sense. Apple just released the “iPhone 5″ with a different name. Don’t be a lemming. Call the next iPhone simply “The next iPhone” or “iPhone 6th generation”. Because you know what? No one outside of the top people at Apple know what it’ll be called, so let’s not assume. But we know it won’t be the iPhone 5.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. I’ll reward you by reading the previous 427 words with this:

Look, the iPhone (5th generation)!

The Sad State of Nintendo Gaming

I love Nintendo. I’m a huge fan, as is all of my family. But the company is in more trouble than their earnings would report. Despite some quarters at a loss, the place where they’ve really been losing is in the living room. 

First, some background contextual information:

In the 90s, Nintendo was king. Coming from the success of the Nintendo Entertainment System in the late 80s, the Super Nintendo was released in 1990–1991 and owned the 16-bit era of 1990–1995. (much to the disappointment of us Sega Genesis fans). But when the Sony Playstation came out in 1994, things started to change and gamers started to see the future of video games: on discs. Nintendo’s next console was the venerable cartridge-based N64, and while it wasn’t as popular as the PlayStation, It was still loved and spawned a number of wonders; notably Super Mario 64 (the first great 3D Platformer in a free world), The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (with the first implementation of Lock-On), and GoldenEye 007 (one of the first great modern first person shooters). 

The subsequent  generation of consoles, I think, was the last “fair fight” of the console wars. This era included the Sega Dreamcast (discontinued prematurely), the Nintendo GameCube, the Microsoft XBOX, and the Sony PlayStation 2. In this generation, most things were fairly equal: the graphics were all about the same, all consoles but the PS2 supported 4 controllers, games could be ported to run on all of the systems. Only first party games separated the consoles—save for the DVD support of the PS2. But this was the point in time when Nintendo started to lose ground. Here are the numbers of consoles sold at the time of discontinuation/succession:

• Dreamcast: 11 million units (as of 09/2002)
• Xbox: 24 million (as of May 2006)
• GameCube: 21.6 Million (as of September 2010)
• PlayStation 2: 150 Million (as of November 2011)

The Issue:

Do you see that? The PS2 had more than all of the other consoles combined. And doubled. Doubled. And with that came a change in gaming culture focus. Instead of platformers and epic adventures owning gamer mindshare, games like Halo, Call of Duty, and Grand Theft Auto rose to prominence among a large number of gamers. Nintendo consoles have not been known for this kind of gameplay. They are known for Mario, The Legend of Zelda, Metroid, Smash Bros., Star Fox, Animal Crossing, and essentially a lot of first-party franchises. Titles that while mom and pop may get for their little 9 year old, 14-year-old Jimmy isn’t talking about with his friends at the middle school lunch table. 

Now Nintendo claims that they’ve expanded to new gamers and demographics with titles like WiiFit and Nintendogs. But with the advent of the iPhone, iPad, and the App Store and the rise of mobile phone gaming, those customers have essentially been ceded to Apple. Nintendo needs to find a way to recapture the hardcore gaming market. Especially with the upcoming launch of the WiiU, Nintendo really needs to basically expand outside of the hardcore Nintendo fans (like me) and into the hardcore gamer fans who enjoy Call of Duty on an HDTV at 1080p online [without cumbersome Friend Codes] with voice chat handled wirelessly through the system. They have to get to both, while still giving Grandma and Grandpa a reason to get one. And that will be relatively difficult to do. 

One of the best ways to do that will be to leverage the advantages of their WiiU GamePad to developers, yet make the WiiU Pro Controller available for geeks to play Call of Duty. I personally don’t like dual-analog control for first-person shooters. I’m relatively new to the genre, and for me, it has a fairly steep learning curve. However, aiming and shooting with a Wii Remote and nunchuk is quite easy and intuitive for me (mostly thanks to spurts with The Conduit and adventures with Metroid Prime 3). I’d love to have the opportunity to face a dual-analog expert on equal terms with a good Wii-Remote and Nunchuk combo.

A quick aside: I think that the Wii Remote and Nunchuck combo is the best console controller. It allows for so many options for game control, but is also easily compatible with more classic button configurations. A good example of this is control options for Twilight Princess on the GameCube vs. Twilight Princess on the Wii. 

Having had a GameCube/Wii during my youth, pre-teen, and teen years as well as an overprotective set of parents, I didn’t gave access to Halo or Grand Theft Auto as a kid. And even when my family finally did get an Xbox (doesn’t even sound right to this day) at Christmas 2010, I never really got into it. (I also had a 10 year old brother, so still no M-rated games). But now I’m heading to college, and I’d love to keep playing video games (despite how expensive it can get to keep up).

I’d also love to have the option to play games that the 360 and PS3s will be running, as well as the next Smash Bros. and Metroid title from Nintendo. But with that, I’d like them to be able to stick with their standard dual-analog format with the Pro Controller, and I could simply use a Wii Remote and Nunchuk combo. (But, with my luck, I’d be stuck with using the GamePad’s dual-analog sticks with some games anyway.) Having a WiiU would also probably result in my 3DS getting some love. I haven’t touched it in months. (Granted, when I had Ocarina of Time 3D I couldn’t put it down, but that’s just a remake). 

Let me end this post with my look at my dream console: A Nintendo-branded console in full HD console with a modern wireless communication network between consoles that get full ports of killer games on other consoles. And one that does so while providing innovation, customizability, and backwards-compatibility. Is that too hard to ask?

Family Heirlooms

No matter what the item, be it accessory or article of clothing, family heirlooms are always cool.

Back in 2007, my Great-Grandfather passed away. I didn’t know much about him; only that he was a General in the military and traveled abroad often. He was the kind of guy with a lot of stuff, and when he died my dad and I went over to his house in Texas and picked up a number of things (like a fishing boat). We grabbed a number of other things, but I was entering 7th grade and really didn’t have an appreciation for anything that was there. (Now, I’d love the opportunity to go back and see if there are any old jackets or blazers that he had. It’s a great way to add a healthy boost to any closet.)

One of the smaller items that my dad received from his grandmother was Grandpa’s gold(en) watch. It was too small for him, so he handed it to Clark, my younger brother by 13 months. As it turns out, the clasp didn’t work, and he didn’t care to fix it. He didn’t like the small dial either, and eventually passed it to my youngest brother Winston. He didn’t care for it either. None of us wanting to throw it away, we simply let it wander around from place to place; abandoned and timeless. 

Fast forward to Summer 2012, and I’m looking to expand my wardrobe with my influx of graduation money. I looked at some watches, but any decent watch starts at least around $100. I’m not a big watch guy like Clark, so I later moved on to other things. Earlier today, I took another look at the watch and tried putting it on. It looked nice, but the clasp was still broken. I grabbed a hammer and hit the lip back into place, and lo and behold, it was back in wearable condition. But it was still dead. Imagine my surprise when I found out that it was a wind-up watch! this made it that much cooler.

This watch fills a need in my jewelry collection: all of the jewelry I wear is silver: my ring, my cross necklace, and my 16th birthday watch. But my much-beloved Clubmasters are gold. Mixing metals isn’t cool. In addition, when I dress up, I tend to wear black with gold accents [cufflinks and studs] (for Distinguished Young Gentlemen events as well as Vanderbilt colors). Again, silver ring and watch not helping. This gold watch, on the other hand, helps to that situation. 

In my opinion, any jewelry that a man wears should have a purpose. I don’t like frivolous jewelry on men (or in general, really). My watch was a present from my dad when I turned 16, and my ring is from Guatemala, my first mission trip. If I was to get a gold ring, it would have to be at/for some sort of special occasion; not simply because I see a pretty one. At least, that’s the case for me.

Here’s a look.

You see me Ridin’

I want a bike.

No, I’m not 10.

I’ve got 30 days left until it’s time for me to leave Tallahassee for college. Because I’ll be staying on campus at Vanderbilt, I’ll no longer need Ramona—my red Honda CR-V that a number of you know and love (she’ll be passed on to Clark, God help us). While walking is a perfectly acceptable means of transport, it is quite slow. To increase my carrying capacity, speed, and cool factor, I’d love to get a new bike. 

There are a lot of advantages to having a bike on campus:

• Faster transportation from A to B in comparison to walking.
• The option to go further distances around the campus—on my own schedule. (i.e. a church within a mile and a half radius of campus as opposed to a couple of blocks)
• Being able to carry a bigger and heavier load (with the inclusion of a rack). If I was carrying something while biking, I wouldn’t be slowed down as much as I would be as if I was carrying it. 
• It’s great exercise. Exercising while touring Nashville? Sure.

After putting in some internet research on the different types of bikes, bike locks, and bike accessories, my current object of lust is this baby: 

 

 

 

(Isn’t she beautiful?)

Anyway, It’s got all of the things I’m looking for: 

• Multiple speeds: It’s a seven speed, so that gives me some gradient flexibility. 
• Chain guard: No one wants the chain to rub grease all over their pants. It also affords a bit of protection to the chain. I also like the European flavor to it.
• Fenders: Riding in the rain isn’t so bad. Riding in the rain with the front wheel kicking puddle water at you is. It’s also classy.
• Back Tire rack: The rack will be great for putting my daily bag/sports(!) gear on. 

Given that it has all of these features, looks like a man’s bike, and clocks in cheaper than $500, I’m pretty excited about it. I didn’t want to go with a commuter type of bike because I didn’t really like the look of it, I wouldn’t need 21 speeds, and the above style is more laid-back and attractive to me. I won’t be racing anyone on it, though; and that’s perfectly fine with me.

Unfortunately, my parents want me to wait until I “Get into the collegiate rhythm” before I decide whether I want a bike or not. I don’t want to wait because:

1. I’m impatient. Let’s be serious here.
2. I want to establish my routine WITH the bike, not create one and then graft in the bike later on. It’s very hard to change a pre-established habit, and I’d rather have a habit that involves 7x faster transport from the get-go.
3. It will be easier to take it down there with me in August, and not have to worry about my parents dealing with how to mail a bicycle later on. It’s not like sending a postcard.
4. I want to explore Vanderbilt and the surrounding area when I move in on August 18, and classes don’t start until the 23rd. That’s plenty of time to bike around and explore the area.

Just to be fair, I’ll offer rebuttals to my claims so that you don’t have to:

1. “Be patient.” Not that I want to be.
2. “You can always change your routine later on”. Valid, but I don’t think that this trumps my original point. That’s simply a delay just to have a delay.
3. “That doesn’t mean that they can’t just mail it. UPS, USPS, and FedEx can mail it anyway.” That’s true. But that still doesn’t beat bringing it with me. That way I don’t have to worry.
4. “You’ll have plenty of time to explore! You’ll be there for four years!” That’s actually a really good point. But the sooner the better, and I want to be one to suggest nearby places to new people that I meet when I get there. It’s a great way to make new friends.

Well, you’ve heard both sides of the story. Do you think that I should wait? Do you think that I should get one before I go? Or will I not need one at all? Sound off below.

Clubmasters

A few months ago, I mentioned my wanting for some good sunglasses; specifically some Ray-Ban Clubmasters. I’m happy to say that a couple of weeks I was able to procure some. I lucked out and found them for $50 off retail at a Sam’s Club. They’re extremely well-built, sturdy, and they’re my school colors. I’d say go get some, but my favorite quality about them is that while they are recognizable, they’re not cliché like Aviators or Wayfarers. The only issue with them that I have is that I think that the color-scheme isn’t too versatile—especially since I only wear silver jewelry. If I was to get a second pair, I’d really want the wire to be silver, not gold. A tortoise-shell color would also be a nice change of pace. Now the question is: Do I build up a collection of Clubmasters, or a collection of Ray-Ban sunglasses?

A shot of me in my Clubmasters.

Update: How about this one?
http://www.ray-ban.com/usa/sunglasses/rb4175/879-n1
Update II: Or this one?
http://www.ray-ban.com/usa/sunglasses/rb3138/001

BookBook for iPad

As a lot of you know, I have a BookBook case for my iPhone. I’m sure that most of you know, I’m also completely in love with it. My original iPad case set up was an iPad Smart Cover with little rubber feet on the bottom. After about six weeks though, the feet came off and I decided to get a Griffin Snap case. It was cracked and wouldn’t stay on the iPad after about two weeks and two light drops. I was not pleased. Recently, my mom and my brother both cracked their iPads. Not wanting to continue the family tradition of shattering iPads, I decided to go ahead and spring for a real case. In a stroke of cosmic coincidence, I realized that TwelveSouth had just updated their BookBook to Volume II (see what they did there?). I ordered one last Sunday and it was on my doorstep by Thursday. As is always the case with TwelveSouth products, I love it. It’s beautifully crafted, hand done, and came in beautiful packaging. It adds a nice heft to the iPad and reduces the slipperiness in-hand.

The BookBook closed.

Of course, it’s made of real leather, and the iPad slips in via the left side of the casing (similar to how it was inserted in Apple’s original iPad case). It really does look like a vintage book—even more than the iPhone version due to the size. However, instead of pages inside, there are two zippers that keep the case bound shut and allow for a cord to be slipped through as well.

Hey, look! It’d be invisible if it was black. Ignore the fingerprints.

One of the advantages of Volume II over Volume I is the typing stand functionality as well as the variable-angle horizontal stand. Don’t try to read my iMessages.

Here, you can see how the BookBook can be a versatile horizontal stand with multiple angles available.

The only semi-concern that I have with the case is that in order to take a photo with my iPad, I’d have to fold the iPad out of the book and leave the BookBook hanging below in order to take a photo with it. Thankfully, I don’t take many photos with my iPad. And, as with most cases, there’s no way to have the iPad stand in portrait style, my preferred orientation. That means my TwelveSouth Compass can still get some love. If you want a really nice iPad case for you or a family member, I highly recommend it. It comes in black, brown, and rustic+red.

New Mac Time!

Hey there, faithful readers!

Well, as most of you all know from my previous posts, Apple came out with some major updates to their MacBook line recently. And I’ve been thinking about my Mac, and how much I love it. And how much it needs to be replaced. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not broken. But it’s dying inside.

At the time I got it —October 2008, my freshman year— $1200 got me: a Core 2 Duo processor, Nvidia 9400M graphics, a 160 GB hard drive (since boosted to 320 GB) and 2GB RAM (boosted to 6 GB currently; it’s the only reason that my Mac is still workable running Lion at this stage in the game.) It’s got a Mini DisplayPort, an Ethernet port, and two USB 2.0 ports. The optical drive broke about a year ago. It does have a VGA iSight camera, which is great for videochatting my friends all over the world. My little brother is going to need a computer soon, and he could always have my MacBook [I'll even be nice and let him keep the memory and hard drive upgrades I put in there].

The current Mac that I’m lusting over is a fairly maxed-out 11″ MacBook Air. It’s armed with 2(!) USB 3.0 ports, a Thunderbolt port, no optical drive (not that I’ve had one in over a year anyway; haven’t missed it), a 720p FaceTime camera, 8 GB RAM, and best of all: a 256 GB SSD. As most of you shold know by now, hard drives are the biggest bottleneck for computers today. Getting one with an SSD is a much faster experience in every appreciable way. It’s like going from 3G to LTE or Dial-Up to Ethernet. It’s crazy fast. All of that in a 2lb-lighter package on a screen that’s virtually the same resolution. Not to mention that the battery life on my MacBook has decreased greatly.

In essence, it blows my MacBook out of the water and leaves it to die, cold and alone. All things considered, I’ve put about $1400 into that MacBook, and the Air I plan on replacing it costs only $1500. Plus I get a backlit keyboard. Backlit. How cool is that? If I can get it before September, I can take advantage of that Back-To-School sale.

Well, without a job, there’s not really much I can do about this situation right now. But if you know a place that could squeeze me in, do give me a call.

Farewell Address

A lot of you mentioned that you enjoyed my Farewell Address from Convocation last week. I’ve decided to publish it here so that you all can enjoy it (at least the words):

 

Convocation Speech

 

Class of 2012, as one cohesive body of students, athletes, musicians, thinkers, doers and Raiders, this is one of the last times we assemble. It’s this, and in a few days, Commencement. And then we’ll be done with high school forever.

 

And you’ll miss it. Some of you guys will miss your time as Raiders a bit more than others, and that’s ok. But for each one of us, we have definitely left a mark and many memories at this school. You know, we’ve had many shared experiences over the past four years. And while my experience may not have matched all of yours, I know that we all had some moments to which each of us could relate. Let’s begin with August of 2008.

Do you remember your first band camp? I know that with those of us who started the summer before freshman year, we spent a good bit of it moving furniture and preparing for the renovation of the band room and marching in that August heat. And remember learning what horn swings were? We all looked like idiots for the first week. I was probably the worst offender. And I know we remember the first time that we had to Duck Walk, and the first time we played at the Back-To-School event at the fair grounds. Don’t forget—all of the music had to be memorized! Some of you all sadly still start Bob Marley to the left.

Then the first week of school. The Rickards campus was a lot bigger than any of our  middle schools.  I know most of us got lost that first week climbing the wrong flight of stairs, trying to make sense of that map. Our poor calf muscles. They didn’t know what hit them. We encountered some tough teachers. I know some of your hands still hurt if I mention “Greek Drama Notes” from Mrs. Taylor’s class. On the positive side, We adjusted to some new freedoms, like not having to stay in the cafeteria for lunch. We also made some great friends, and had some good memories. Life was still pretty simple.

Then sophomore year. Best Part? Thank God we weren’t freshmen. The whole cycle started over again. Band camp was a little bit better, because we actually knew what to do. That summer, the marching band was blessed with the opportunity to go to Washington DC and represent the State of Florida by marching in the Independence Day Parade. And we had a blast, didn’t we? We got to see fireworks on the National Mall, see the White House in-person, and even stop on a few elevators with Donald Trump.

During our sophomore year, we had an undefeated basketball team. State Champions. During our sophomore year, we became an A school for the first time in Rickards High School history. We had Challenge Day, and we all grew just a little bit closer. Some of us had our first taste of AP exams, and some went better than others. Sophomore year was a great year for Rickards. I know all of you remember the Rickards-Godby game that year. It was for the District win. It was 21-22 Godby. We had the ball. It was the 4th quarter. We were about 15 yards from the touchdown line. We missed the first three passes. And for that last pass, everything was silent. The band stopped playing, and people stopped hollering. We were just watching, waiting for the pass. It was a tense moment. We didn’t complete the pass, and Godby won that game. But it was a great game. We all came together in that moment, whether we were faculty, staff, IB, General, Swimmer or Wrestler. Our Raider Football team played hard, like they always do.

Then junior year rolled around. Now we were upperclassmen. Big Dogs. Varsity level. This year was full of transition, especially for us IB students. We got a new Coordinator, CAS Director, English teacher (yeah, you remember—we had some unforgettable moments, didn’t we?), and a new psychology teacher. Some of us got some cars—which led to a lot of fun, but more risks. We could finally OFFICIALLY go to Moe’s on Fridays. Remember eating Moe’s queso for the first time? Delicious. We got in a few more leadership roles in our Junior year.

I actually started a sport for the first time, and I had the opportunity to swim for Rickards. I thought I was gonna drown on the first day of swim practice. I’m sure some of you guys wondered if you would survive your first day of practice as well. There were great successes during our Junior year: State Champions in basketball again, the Rickards High School band got superiors again, and Challenge Day was a success. Some of us were officially inducted to The International Baccalaureate Program.

But there were also some sad moments last year. You remember Mrs. Field’s Class and Mrs. Simmons’ class? They would not give us those A’s! Or B’s either. There was some struggling going on. If it came between Glee, Pretty Little Liars or a test with those teachers, we just had to watch it on Hulu or Netflix later.

And we’ve now made it to this past year, Senior Year. As I’m sure you all can attest, Senior Year is the hardest. Not so much because of the workload, but because of all of the other things that go along with the year. The emotion and suspense awaiting college decisions and scholarship results. The leadership roles that we took on in FCA, NHS, RSS, MUN, and SGA, and taking charge in both the school and in the community. The expenses that needed to be paid. But through all of this, there was that nagging feeling in the back of your head reminding you that “This is it. There is no redo. After this year, it’s over.”

Senior Year was great. We had a great Homecoming Week, and I’d say the best one Rickards has seen in a few years. You remember that step show? Yeah, DYG took care of that, but all of the groups that performed did a great job. Prom was a success, in most respects. I know nearly everyone had a great time, plus I got to wear my top hat. Finally, I know that 42 of you have been waiting to say since the sixth grade: IB Done. No more CAS, EEs, IAs, IOPs or any other sort of dreaded IB-related acronym.

But is was fun. Heck, we’re finished, right? After years of suspense and anticipation, it ended. And now we’re here. We pretty much know where we’re going next year. We’ve heard back from the scholarship committees and the universities. And now it’s time to say good-bye. I love you guys. Farewell, underclassmen. Farewell, IB and your dreaded requirement for using pens for everything. Farewell foreign languages and AP classes. Farewell, trips to Starbucks and Moe’s. Farewell, Lindy’s, Pizza Quik, and Hungry Howie’s. Farewell, teachers and to the best administration ever!.

I want to leave you all with one thing. You’ve learned not only about things in the classroom and about your friends, but about yourself. By now, you know your strengths and weaknesses. Take what you’ve learned about yourself in the past four years, and strive to turn your weakest attribute into one of your greatest strengths. If you’re a bad singer, take some lessons. If you’re bad at sports, try joining a local team. If you’re a bad dancer, try to get some lessons. All of us have room to further improve. The learning never ends. Keep learning and keep improving! That is my challenge to each of us.

Rickards High School. No exceptions, no excuses. Good-bye, Class of 2012. It has been a great year!