UNT now charges excessive "convenience fee" for card payment of tuition

Wow. That's all I can think. Of course, if you really start digging on the unt.edu website, you'll find information on the new fees that are pretty damn excessive. They say processing cards is expensive, and I get that. They also justify it by saying other schools do the same. I just made a payment for two classes, under $1900 and the fee was nearly $50.

You don't get a warning on the payment processing site that you are going to be charged the extra money, you just get a receipt at the end saying the payments (plural) have been processed.

I also got the email about he payments. I was so mad I replied (and I know better, read the last comment in my message below).

It is CRIMINAL that you charge students $49.40 to pay for school with a credit card. I know the goal of business is to be profitable, but your company, the school, and everyone who approved of this type of excessive charge for a "convenience fee" should be ashamed.
That is all I can say without cursing. I wasn't even warned that it was going to be charged. I would have driven to the school to make a payment to save nearly fifty bucks. I'll never make that mistake again.
Now watch me get the bounce back because this isn't a monitored email address....
*****
Of course I was right:

*****
Delivery to the following recipient failed permanently:
     unt_prod@infinet-inc.com
Technical details of permanent failure:
Google tried to deliver your message, but it was rejected by the server for the recipient domain infinet-inc.com by aspmx.l.google.com. [2a00:1450:4010:c05::1a].
*****

I'm not going to rant on and on, I just want to warn other students that might be thinking it would just be easy to pay online real quick. If you can go to the campus, DON'T PAY ONLINE.

I stand by what I said to them in my message. They should have sent an email to every student in the UNT system about this excessive convenience fee before it was implemented so people could make informed choices. I NEVER would have paid that way if I had known.

Here is a link to their explanation. I love my school, but this left a bad taste in my mouth.

Looking for the opportunity to serve

I have been working in Legal for most of two decades now. Somewhat recently, I've learned some new skills that I'm really excited about. After many years of supporting trial teams from an IT perspective, I have been educating myself on new ways to contribute. First, I took courses on Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator. While I can't say that I'm an expert with either program, I do believe I've learned enough to be able to produce some quality graphics to display in the courtroom. Since I was an art major when I first started at University of North Texas, these skills and what I learned about Design can be put to good use. After taking those graphics courses, I went to training in Phoenix at the inData office to learn TrialDirector. I am now TrialDirector Certified.

So that gets me to the "opportunity to serve" part! I am looking for chance to use these new skills to assist someone that otherwise would not have some graphics or someone presenting in the courtroom. In short, I want to do some Pro Bono work. It's a win-win! I get to serve, I also get to practice new skills, and you get to have someone to present (exhibits, documents, graphics). What's not to like?

OK, so I've got to lay out the disclaimer here. First, I work full time so I need to do any graphics work with you evenings or weekends. Better than not having any though, right? Second, I work full time so I can't do a long drawn-out trial. If you have a hearing or something that won't take more than a day (or two, max) then I can take the day off as long as I know the date ahead of time. I have to take care of the necessities for my employer first, of course. Oh, and I AM NOT AN ATTORNEY. I need to make that clear. I am not representing myself to be an attorney, and I cannot give you any legal advice.

Don't be shy. If you are an attorney that is working to help someone and you need a helping hand, get in touch. Worse I can say is that I'm too busy with work or school. But you should know that I really like to help people and it would be my privilege. Never hurts to ask. Email me and let's see if we can help someone!

Pedal more

I do it every year. I remember reading a news article several years ago about a bunch of crazy people that ride their bikes in the heat, and somehow I thought, "that sounds like something I would like to try to do."

It's been a journey with a lot of interesting twists and turns, but I have managed to collect all the things necessary to ride a road bike and then get out and sit in the saddle. I started out a little bit at a time, first off with an inexpensive bicycle I picked up at a thrift store. I was able to ride that enough on some group rides to realize that I enjoyed it. When I'm pedaling along, and especially when I'm riding downhill, in my head I'm saying "Weeeeeeeeee!" like a little kid. I'm a big boy, so I go downhill pretty fast due to the laws of physics. Uphill, not so much.

Like I said, I started collecting all the stuff. You bike riders out there know the drill. It doesn't matter if it's for a road bike or mountain bike, you've got to get volumes of accessories for the bike, clothes that are appropriate, shoes and pedals, etc. There are lots of ways to collect that stuff too. You have your LBS (otherwise known as the Local Bike Shop) which can be a boutique type of place up to the bigger bike stores (We have a few here in Dallas). I'm pretty happy with my setup right now, but I am thinking real hard about getting a new pair of shoes this year and switching to Look style pedals from SPD.

Oh, and I've horse traded bikes several times so that now I'm riding a bike I really love and plan to keep for a good long while. I'm pedaling a Specialized Roubaix with a compact crank, which works out well for a big guy like me that's had two back surgeries. Comfort is a premium for me at this stage of my life and this bike has been good to me. About the only way I'm going to be any more comfortable is if I go recumbent but I don't see that in my budget right now, so I'm satisfied with my ride.

Anywho, I'm about ready for my annual pilgrimage to Whichita Falls for Hotter N Hell. I think this is going to be about my 7th or 8th time doing it. I only missed one year since I started, due to circumstances that were out of my control. I expect I'll keep going until I can't do it any more. It grows every year, and it's a pretty amazing thing to stand there with the bike at the start and look around to see so many tens of thousands if riders in one place. There is a lot of "Weeeeeeeeee!" going on in my head for a good part of the day, and I'm always feeling like I accomplished something when I finish. I always did the 100 mile rides the first few years, and I've done the 100K ride the other years. I choose based on my training leading up to the ride. My goal every year is to have a wonderful day, enjoy myself and the company of others, and finish healthy.

I've got a lot more where that came from about riding bikes, but I'll have to write more in some other posts. Check back from time to time and see what's up. For now, I'm getting ready to go ride in the heat.

Meditation in Dallas

It is that time again in Dallas. People in this area don't know what a treasure is hidden right out in plain sight. We have a meditation center that is dedicated to serving the cause of world peace, and it offers an intensive opportunity to learn about meditation every year.

The course is free. That's right, there is no cost to come to the center and learn to meditate. There is no talk about religion - all faiths welcome. They aren't asking you to join anything. You don't have to change the way you dress, or have any diet that is different than what you are already doing in your life. Free of charge. The only thing you have to do is decide you want to learn to meditate, and show up.

There is a Monk (pictured left) who made a commitment to work toward a goal of world peace, and so it is his service to pass on his knowledge about the techniques of meditation. He has meditation centers in Canada, but we only have ONE in the whole United States. It's right here in Dallas, Texas.

Luangphor Viriyang Sirintharo kicks off another course for 2013 when he comes to Dallas on Sunday, August 25 at the meditation center located at 2526 Manana Drive. It is a rare opportunity for those of us who have had the pleasure of knowing Luangphor Viriyang to be able to see him here in Dallas, and for those who haven't met him yet this event is not to be missed. You should be there, seriously. 2 - 4 PM on Sunday, August 25th. I'm going to drive in from another state because I love it when he comes to town.

Learn more about his story and committment to teaching at his website. If you know about this course, or Luangphor Viriyang, or even just think you really want to come check it out, let someone else that might be interested know. Bring them too!