Millie taking in some sculpture at the NasherVignettes in Joshua Rice and Jessica Stewart Lendvay's stunning shared office at Barry Whistler Gallery. (Notice the Allison V. Smith photo of my dreams above... sigh).Dallas ceramicist Paul Schneider's gorgeous work...Pretty paintings at BelAir Studio & DesignRugs at our favorite secret spot... (Shhh it's Art of Old India in Dallas).Oragami sculpture at Gallerie NoirThe stacks at Barry WhistlerMore Gallerie Noir goodness...Talley DunnJoshua Rice DesignAntiques ModerneGallerie NoirB. GoverBarry Whistler GalleryAdam Silverman at The Nasher Sculpture Center

Let's be honest here. If I'm going to be good at my job, I have to get out of the studio. I have to explore and suss things out, seeing them first hand, touching, experiencing, marveling. And yet, dang it man; it's hard to pull away from the computer. And worse yet, when I do leave the electronic box-o-information, I tend to hit my usual haunts.

Sure there's the actual "computer work" that has to be done: the emails to answer, the research to do, the orders to place, the estimating and invoicing and just general doing. But then there's the rabbit hole — down, down, down (for hours on end) into the visual other world that is the Interwebs. (Pinterest I'm talking to you.)

So I'm proud to report that a series of otherwise unplanned events over the past week had me breaking the "chained to my computer" cycle. Friends, I got out. I went to galleries I'd never been to, off-the-beaten-path shops, nurseries previously unfrequented, antique stores, showrooms... I went to the Nasher twice (!). I saw, touched, ogled. It was a good thing.

So now I'm making it official, marking time on my calendar (thanks for the push Sam) for a weekly marvel date. I'll hit some of my favorite spots, throw a couple of newbies into the mix, and see what happens.

Bam.