diff --git a/home/private_dot_config/zsh/conf.d/aliases.zsh b/home/private_dot_config/zsh/conf.d/aliases.zsh
index 44d0b00..ff58fc6 100644
--- a/home/private_dot_config/zsh/conf.d/aliases.zsh
+++ b/home/private_dot_config/zsh/conf.d/aliases.zsh
@@ -37,10 +37,6 @@ alias viv-dev='python3 <(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/daylinmorg
 # increment a build number and maintain Lexicographic order
 alias lexid-inc="python -c \"import sys;build=(sys.argv[1] if len(sys.argv) ==2 else sys.exit('please provide number as input'));print((next if build[1] == (next:= str(int(build) + 1))[0] else f'{int(next[0])*11}{next[1:]}'))\""
 
-alias task="./do"
-alias task="./task"
-alias t="./task"
-
 alias micromamba-fhs="nix-shell -E 'with import <nixpkgs> {}; (pkgs.buildFHSUserEnv {name = \"micromamba-fhs\"; runScript=\"zsh\";}).env'"
 
 alias fhs="nix-shell -E 'with import <nixpkgs> {}; (pkgs.buildFHSUserEnv {name = \"micromamba-fhs\"; runScript=\"zsh\";}).env'"
diff --git a/home/private_dot_config/zsh/functions/scratch b/home/private_dot_config/zsh/functions/scratch
index 5fc8091..17252a1 100644
--- a/home/private_dot_config/zsh/functions/scratch
+++ b/home/private_dot_config/zsh/functions/scratch
@@ -3,16 +3,22 @@
 
 # inspo: https://leahneukirchen.org/blog/archive/2006/01/keeping-your-home-clean-with-mess.html
 
-date_dir=$(date +"%Y/%U")
-DATED_SCRATCH=$HOME/scratch/$date_dir
-mkdir -p $DATED_SCRATCH
-ln -sfn $DATED_SCRATCH $HOME/scratch/current
+local dir date_scratch
+
+date_scratch=$HOME/scratch/$(date +"%Y/%U")
+mkdir -p $date_scratch
+ln -sfn $date_scratch $HOME/scratch/current
+
+# cleanup any empty directories while I'm here
+find $HOME/scratch/$(date +"%Y") \
+  -mindepth 2 -maxdepth 2 -type d -empty -print0 |\
+  xargs -0 --no-run-if-empty rmdir --verbose
 
 if [[ -n $1 ]]; then
-  DIR=$DATED_SCRATCH/$1
-  mkdir -p $DIR
+  dir=$date_scratch/$1
+  mkdir -p $dir
 else
-  DIR=$(mktemp -d $DATED_SCRATCH/$(date +"%d").XXXX)
+  dir=$(mktemp -d $date_scratch/$(date +"%d").XXXX)
 fi
 
-pushd $DIR
+pushd $dir