I Only Know the Word Mélange Because I Watched the Odd Couple

One definition is “a mixture often comprised of incongruous elements”

Written By: Dr. Rich Houston, Director of the Culverhouse School of Accountancy

Climbing your hill. I’d been riding my gravel bike on a gravel road, and tried several times over the course of several weeks to climb a series of two hills, but met with no success. I concluded that I was over the hill and simply not capable of climbing them and was strongly considering “cheating” in the form of buying an electric gravel bike, which would have been tantamount to admitting that “I give up.” However, after spending way too many hours on the internet obsessing over ebike options, I decided to adopt an “I can, and I will” mindset. I drove my car up the hills to study how long and how steep they were, made some strategic decisions, ate a good breakfast, got my mind right, and then succeeded with surprisingly little trouble. I must say that I’m quite proud I did and I’m postponing indefinitely the purchase of an ebike. However, I would not reject a gift of a Specialized Creo Sl Comp Carbon or Canyon Grail:ON CF 7 AXS. In any case, just for fun, say out loud the makes and models of the bikes and be sure to exhibit the same gusto Ralphie did when describing the Red Ryder BB gun in “A Christmas Story.” And the Park City Tantamounts sounds like a professional ski team that has a cool logo.

The last week of class snuck up on me like a cat cunningly and quietly raiding a freshly filled bowl of dog food.

With respect to finals, remember that “it is now time to sprint through the finish line!”

If you want to matter and be seen, consider whether you're putting yourself around people personally and professionally who see you and to whom you matter.

And now, the pi?ata?story, another revised anecdote in my self-servingly interpreted life story. We had a pi?ata party in Mrs. Goldman’s 4th grade class. I was one of the first to take a stab at busting it and my blind-folded self mightily swung the yardstick, missed the pi?ata, and instead did major damage to the sheet cake. I’ve always thought that everyone was laughing at me, but recently it occurred to me that they probably were laughing simply because it was funny. Although you may call that revisionist history, I call it growth. I must say that the most difficult task I faced this week was choosing which of the many great pi?ata cartoons to include. The best I could do was narrow it down to two.

Holding yourself accountable often requires assistance, so build the right team to help you do so.

Is it cool or tragic that I listened to Little Feat’s live version of Dixie Chicken by streaming it through my hearing aids?

Most of you say that you fear and despise speaking in public (let’s face it—you despise it because you fear it). I did too, as much or more as you do, but much to my surprise I overcame my fear and it’s been my life for the last 40 years. If I can do it, you can too. Just talk to the audience like they're your friends, realize that they’re thinking mainly about how glad they are that they’re not where you are (or about their grocery list), and don't worry if you forget to say something—no one will notice the difference. Focus on saying what's on your mind and heart. That's it. You can do all that.

Jared Goff of the Detroit Lions discussed his career turnaround in terms you should take to heart. He said that: “Everyone wanted to bench me. But it’s funny—you do your job one play at a time, and a little momentum starts to build. You do it 10 plays in a row, then 15, then 20, and good things start to happen. And I learned that when you try to do less, more happens.”

I’m not interested in most candy canes because they don’t give me the diameter I deserve, nor the radius I’m entitled to. Is that halfway redundant? And does candy corn feel inadequate when people ask, “don’t you mean candy canes?” Regardless, I do suggest that you try these:

I wondered about the margins on bicycles and found this discussion about overhead and its impact: The markup is usually near 60%, but most shops sell them effectively at cost after incurring warehouse costs, paying a mechanic to assemble them, hiring staff to rotate inventory; clean them after test rides; keep their tires properly inflated; and perform free after-sale tune-ups, not to mention rent, utilities, insurance, accounting, interest, staff training costs, and employee benefits. Bonus question: What’s the gross profit percentage if there’s a 60% markup? The answer appears after the last cartoon.

The marching orders that the leaves this Fall must have received:

Day 1: Change color.

Day 2: Take a dive.

Day 3 and forward: Lie still and resist the rake.

Postscript: Again, too many great cartoons.

A student wrote: I used to think that being strong meant having it all together, keeping my struggles private, and always looking like I knew what I was doing. But this semester helped me realize that pretending gets me nowhere. Letting my guard down and being honest about my challenges has brought me closer to people. Admitting when I’m overwhelmed or don’t have the answers shows people that it’s OK to be human and makes me a better friend, co-worker, and family member.

On a personal note, this Fall marked 40 years since I started teaching and my 30th at Alabama. In August, I entered my classes with, for various stupid reasons, the kinds of self-doubts and anxieties you may deal with. I imagined the worst but, as is true for most dire scenarios we dream up, none of them came true and it turned out to be a remarkably rewarding and impactful experience. Thank you to all involved.

Answer: Let’s say that a product’s cost is $10. A 60% markup would yield a sales price of $16 ($10 + ($10 * 60%)), and $6 of gross profit. The gross profit percentage is 37.5% ($6 / $16).