Plank (verb) – to lay face down, appearing stiff as a board, on floor or suspended between two objects (such as camels). Conjugation: I plank, I planked, I am planking. You plank. You ‘da plank!
Writing a post about planking is nearly as ridiculous as getting caught in the act.
Two of my favorite writers, Caleb Newquist and Adrienne Gonzalez, have created the must read Going Concern. I love them because they have it: impeccable taste in silliness, although sometimes they are serious. Last year Caleb was serious enough to be identified as on the wrong side of the bubble for Accounting Today’s list of Top 100 professionals in the American world of accounting.
Yesterday, Caleb posed the silly question, “Are Accountants Planking at Work?” Apparently not, as no one has sent in a photo of any such planking. In hopes that someone might, Caleb proposed the following point scale:
- Planking on a manager’s desk – 100 points.
- Planking on a partner’s desk – 500 points.
- Planking on the office managing partner’s desk – 1,000 points.
- Planking on the client’s conference table – 1,000 points
- Planking in the lobby with your firm’s sign in view – 1,000 points
- Photo of the office managing partner planking on his/her desk – 5,000 points.
- Planking on a partner’s [insert luxury car here] – 5,000 points.
It is as inviting as a swimming pool on a hot hot hot summer day. Don’t you want to cannonball in? I propose the following additions to the scale.
- Planking on a collegiate campus — 100 points
- Planking in front of collegiate logo — 500 points
- Planking in accounting classroom — 1,000 points
- Planking by accounting professor in accounting classroom — 5,000 points
If you take planking pics, please send them to Caleb via e-mail (be sure to :cc me).
Actually, I doubt that any accountant over age 30 would be caught dead (or live) in the act of planking. At what age do accountant’s lose their silliness? For that matter, do accountants even have the silliness gene?
I would love to see a pic of a grown-up accountant doing some planking. Can you imagine any of these accounting luminaries planking?
- Bob Jensen (retired accounting professor who e-mails to AECM) – YES
- Karen Pincus (president elect of American Accounting Association) – NO
- ProfAlbrecht (me) – WHY NOT?
- Ed Scribner (NMSU Accounting Department Head) – MAYBE
- Mary Schapiro (Chair of SEC) – NO
- James Kroeker (Chief Accountant) – NO
- Leslie Seidman (Chair of FASB) – NO
- Caleb Newquist (Going Concern) – YES
- Francine McKenna (Forbes blogger) – NO
GoingConcern has a link to the hilarious “Planking Los Angeles“, a YouTube video. If anyone still hasn’t caught on, here is “Planking for Dummies,” by VivaLaWatts:
Planking originated in Australia. One planker fell seven stories to death while planking on a building ledge. Some plankers have been fired while planking at work.
Debit and credit – David Albrecht
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