it looks like we should all play in the dirt more, according to a british study which found that the treatment of mice with a ‘friendly’ bacteria, normally found in soil, altered behavior in a way similar to antidepressant drugs.

love it!

i also really enjoyed the "word of the day" theme this week from the email subscription service: words having vowels aeiou once and only once, and in order.

today's word was: annelidous (uh-NEL-uh-duhs), which is an adjective meaning "Of or relating to worms"

i guess that makes it a very dirt themed day.

____


on a very separate note, it was wonderful to see everyone when we were back in michigan this past weekend. i wish we made it back more often, because we do have such an awesome group of friends. we were happy and impressed at how many of you were able to come and partake of naan and yummy indian food goodness at shalimar, and it was especially nice for sharon & don to host a group afterward.

i had a really nice time with my family (both the paskys and the halls) and a special visit with my grandma. she is truly the world's best grandma, and we've stayed in touch via email, which is soooooo impressive (i hope i can adapt to new technology that well when i'm 80!). i also really liked talking with my 'sister' whitney. i've never had a sister before, so it's been nice to have one finally.

it was sad to see my childhood home. it's pretty beat up at this point, and it was empty except for a few scattered things that were being left behind for the buyers. they did leave a lovely note for "the previous owners of this house" that said that they love it, and i am hoping that someday i can stop by and meet them.

i've posted a few photos of the house on my flickr site, here.