diff --git a/pyproject.toml b/pyproject.toml
index 1795671..d3fb10c 100644
--- a/pyproject.toml
+++ b/pyproject.toml
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 
 [project]
 name = "jo3util"
-version = "0.0.7"
+version = "0.0.10"
 description = ""
 dependencies = []
 dynamic = ["readme"]
diff --git a/src/eqx.py b/src/eqx.py
index d13e74c..e05ea5b 100644
--- a/src/eqx.py
+++ b/src/eqx.py
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ def create_hook(
 
 def sow(where: Callable, model: eqx.Module) -> eqx.Module:
     """Capture intermediate activations that the argument modules output
-    and return them together after model output"""
+    and return them together with the model output"""
     activ = []
 
     def install_sow(node: Callable):
@@ -91,7 +91,7 @@ def sow(where: Callable, model: eqx.Module) -> eqx.Module:
         def __call__(self, *args, **kwargs):
             activ.clear()  # empty the list
             x = model_call(self, *args, **kwargs)
-            return x, activ
+            return activ + [x]
 
     return Sow(model)
 
diff --git a/src/root.py b/src/root.py
index 298a274..c82fa6a 100644
--- a/src/root.py
+++ b/src/root.py
@@ -2,15 +2,18 @@
 
 import inspect
 import os
-import sys
-from importlib.resources import files
+import json
+from importlib.resources import files, as_file
 from pathlib import Path
 from typing import Optional
 
 import __main__
+from .string import hash_string
+from .warning import todo
 
 
 def walk_stack() -> Optional[Path]:
+    todo("check if this is being called from the python shell")
     stack = inspect.stack()
     i = 0
     file_name = "<>"
@@ -23,12 +26,13 @@ def walk_stack() -> Optional[Path]:
     return Path(file_name)
 
 
-def root_dir():
+def root_dir() -> Path:
     if "FILE_PATH" in os.environ:
-        return Path(os.environ["FILE_PATH"]).parent()
+        return Path(os.environ["FILE_PATH"]).parent
 
     if __main__.__package__:
-        return files(__main__.__package__)
+        with as_file(files(__main__.__package__)) as path:
+            return path
 
     if "__file__" in dir(__main__):
         return Path(__main__.__file__).parent
@@ -75,3 +79,14 @@ def root_file():
         return out
 
     raise NotImplementedError
+
+
+def run_dir(obj, subdir=Path("run")):
+    run_id: str = json.dumps(obj, default=lambda x: vars(x))
+    run_id: str = hash_string(run_id)
+
+    path = root_dir()
+    if subdir:
+        path /= subdir
+    path /= run_id
+    return path