When I was born on this day XX years ago (nope, don't ask!), it was actually Mother's Day. Thankfully, my mom never said banal things to me like, "It was the best Mother's Day present I could have asked for!" Seems to me several hours of hard labor is precisely NOT the way to spend any holiday, let alone one intended to celebrate the glory of maternity.

I would gladly have frittered the day away curled up on the couch with a well-worn copy of The Great Gatsby, a cup of chamomile tea at the ready, and my cat purring contentedly beside me. But there was this webinar today. And I won't say something trite like, "It was the best possible way to start a birthday!" because, well, that would be a lie.

What I can say in all honesty is today's Legal Learning session, hosted by Inside Self-Storage and Jeffrey Greenberger of Selfstoragelegal.com, was not the worst way to start a birthday. Actually, it was rather pleasant, thanks to all the wonderful people involved in direct and indirect ways.

First, my oh-so-sweet husband made sure I had a Starbucks latte and a piece of cinnamon coffeecake to fuel me through the presentation. (This is utterly critical.) It was also great to see how attendance for this monthly event has blossomed over just two monthstoday's webinar had 120 attendees. Finally, we had a special guest join us for a "Motivational Minute" mid-way through the session: industry guru Jim Chiswell, who many of you know through the abundance of articles he has written for Inside Self-Storage magazine and his presentations at ISS expos.

Today, Jeff covered the key topic of self-storage lien proceedings: "The Importance of Holding a Commercially Reasonable Sale." I was impressed at the quality of questions being asked during the Q&A portion of the program. This shows me industry operators take the subject seriously; and it's especially pleasing to see them using new technologies to gather the information they need.

If you attended this morning's webinaror even if you didn'tand you'd like to receive a copy of Jeff's handout, which outlines a 12-Part Test you can use to determine if your lien sale is considered "commercially reasonable" under the law, shoot me an e-mail at [email protected]. I'll be happy to send it to you.

If you missed today's session, join us in June when Jeff addresses "The Benefits and Cautions Involved in Tenant Screening." The event takes place on Tuesday, June 13th. To register, click here. To read a description of what the event will cover, click here.

NOTE: June is the last month for completely free registration. Starting in July, Legal Learning will remain free for members of participating self-storage associations; all others will pay a fee of $49. If you're a member of the state association for Florida, Illinois, Indiana, or Ohio, cool. You're all set. Simply contact your association administrator for the free registration code. If you'd like to see your state association on the freebie list, again, send me an e-mail at [email protected], and we'll make it happen.

Gotta jet ... Must partake in a sumptuous birthday dinner with my favorite biker on the planet and then see "The Notorious Bettie Page" on the silver screen. (Check back tomorrow for the review!)