diff --git a/db.go b/db.go
index 4ec19c5..03b9307 100644
--- a/db.go
+++ b/db.go
@@ -1,17 +1,16 @@
 package main
 
 import log "github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
-import "io/ioutil"
-import "github.com/dgraph-io/badger"
-import "github.com/spf13/afero"
-import "github.com/go-redis/redis"
+
+//import "io/ioutil"
 import "fmt"
 import "strconv"
 
 const appPrefix = "steem-block-fetcher"
 
 type SteemDataStorer interface {
-	SetCurrentBlockHeight(BlockNumber) error
+	SetCurrentBlockHeight() error
+	ForceSetCurrentBlockHeight(BlockNumber) error
 	CurrentBlockHeight() BlockNumber
 	HaveOpsForBlock(BlockNumber) bool
 	StoreBlockOps(BlockNumber, *[]byte) error
@@ -28,13 +27,45 @@ func NewSteemDataStore(dir string) *SteemDataStore {
 	return self
 }
 
-func (self *SteemDataStore) SetCurrentBlockHeight(blockNum BlockNumber) error {
-	panic("unimplemented")
-	return nil
+func (self *SteemDataStore) ForceSetCurrentBlockHeight(blockNum BlockNumber) error {
+	keyname := fmt.Sprintf("%s:global:CurrentBlockHeight", appPrefix)
+	value := fmt.Sprintf("%d", blockNum)
+	return self.kv.Put(&keyname, &value)
+}
+
+// this function searches for the highest contiguously stored blocknum
+// and updates the memo in the db
+func (self *SteemDataStore) SetCurrentBlockHeight() error {
+	nextVal := self.FindHighestContiguousBlockInDb(self.CurrentBlockHeight())
+	keyname := fmt.Sprintf("%s:global:CurrentBlockHeight", appPrefix)
+	value := fmt.Sprintf("%d", nextVal)
+	log.Infof("updating our current highest block in db to %d", nextVal)
+	return self.kv.Put(&keyname, &value)
+}
+
+func (self *SteemDataStore) FindHighestContiguousBlockInDb(from BlockNumber) BlockNumber {
+	last := from
+
+	var keyname string
+	var try BlockNumber
+
+	for {
+		try = BlockNumber(uint64(last) + 1)
+		keyname = fmt.Sprintf("%s:BlockOps:%d", appPrefix, try)
+		exists, _ := self.kv.Exists(&keyname)
+		if exists == false {
+			log.Debugf("cannot find block %d in db, highest found is %d", try, last)
+			return last
+		} else {
+			last = try
+		}
+	}
 }
 
 func (self *SteemDataStore) StoreBlockOps(blockNum BlockNumber, blockOps *[]byte) error {
-	panic("unimplemented")
+	keyname := fmt.Sprintf("%s:BlockOps:%d", appPrefix, blockNum)
+	value := string(*blockOps)
+	return self.kv.Put(&keyname, &value)
 }
 
 func (self *SteemDataStore) HaveOpsForBlock(blockNum BlockNumber) bool {
@@ -44,130 +75,12 @@ func (self *SteemDataStore) HaveOpsForBlock(blockNum BlockNumber) bool {
 func (self *SteemDataStore) CurrentBlockHeight() BlockNumber {
 	keyname := fmt.Sprintf("%s:global:CurrentBlockHeight", appPrefix)
 	val, err := self.kv.Get(&keyname)
-	//FIXME(sneak) make this init the key to 0 if not found
 	if err != nil {
-		panic("unable to query redis")
+		// assume this is key not found, initialize key to default
+		self.ForceSetCurrentBlockHeight(0)
+		// retry
+		return self.CurrentBlockHeight()
 	}
 	intval, err := strconv.ParseUint(*val, 10, 64)
 	return BlockNumber(intval)
 }
-
-// KeyValueStorer is an interface for the backend kv store used by
-// SteemDataStore
-// it could be fs, badgerdb, whatever
-
-type KVStorer interface {
-	Open(string)
-	Get(*string) (*string, error)
-	Put(*string, *string) error
-	Close()
-}
-
-type RedisKVStore struct {
-	rc *redis.Client
-}
-
-func NewRedisKVStore() *RedisKVStore {
-	rkvs := new(RedisKVStore)
-	rkvs.Open("localhost:6379") //FIXME(sneak) use viper
-	return rkvs
-}
-
-func (self *RedisKVStore) Get(keyname *string) (*string, error) {
-	val, err := self.rc.Get(*keyname).Result()
-	if err != nil {
-		log.Panicf("unable to fetch key '%s' from redis", *keyname)
-		//FIXME(sneak) we should probably distinguish between key not
-		//existing and fetch error
-	}
-	return &val, nil
-}
-
-func (self *RedisKVStore) Put(keyname *string, value *string) error {
-	err := self.rc.Set(*keyname, *value, 0).Err()
-	if err != nil {
-		panic("unable to write to redis")
-	}
-	return nil
-}
-
-func (self *RedisKVStore) Close() {
-	self.rc.Close()
-}
-
-func (self *RedisKVStore) Open(hostname string) {
-	self.rc = redis.NewClient(&redis.Options{
-		Addr:     hostname,
-		Password: "", // no password set
-		DB:       0,  // use default DB
-	})
-
-	_, err := self.rc.Ping().Result()
-	if err != nil {
-		panic(err)
-	}
-}
-
-type AferoFSKVStore struct {
-	fs *afero.Fs
-}
-
-// BadgerKVStore is an object that conforms to KeyValueStorer for use
-// by SteemDataStore to persist Steem data
-
-type BadgerKVStore struct {
-	db *badger.DB
-}
-
-func NewBadgerKVStore(dir string) *BadgerKVStore {
-	kv := new(BadgerKVStore)
-	kv.Open(dir)
-	return kv
-}
-
-func (kv *BadgerKVStore) Open(dir string) {
-	dir, err := ioutil.TempDir("", "badger")
-	if err != nil {
-		log.Fatal(err)
-	}
-
-	opts := badger.DefaultOptions
-	opts.Dir = dir
-	opts.ValueDir = dir
-	kv.db, err = badger.Open(opts)
-	if err != nil {
-		log.Fatal(err)
-	}
-}
-
-func (kv *BadgerKVStore) Close() {
-	kv.db.Close()
-}
-
-func (kv *BadgerKVStore) Put(key *string, value *string) error {
-	txn := kv.db.NewTransaction(true) // Read-write txn
-	err := txn.Set([]byte(*key), []byte(*value))
-	if err != nil {
-		log.Fatal(err)
-	}
-	err = txn.Commit(nil)
-	if err != nil {
-		log.Fatal(err)
-	}
-	return nil
-}
-
-func (kv *BadgerKVStore) Get(key *string) (*string, error) {
-	txn := kv.db.NewTransaction(false)
-	item, err := txn.Get([]byte(*key))
-	if err != nil {
-		return nil, err
-	}
-
-	val, err := item.ValueCopy(nil)
-	if err != nil {
-		return nil, err
-	}
-	s := string(val)
-	return &s, nil
-}
diff --git a/kvstore.go b/kvstore.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f1e5cb8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/kvstore.go
@@ -0,0 +1,138 @@
+package main
+
+import log "github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
+import "io/ioutil"
+import "github.com/dgraph-io/badger"
+import "github.com/spf13/afero"
+import "github.com/go-redis/redis"
+
+// KeyValueStorer is an interface for the backend kv store used by
+// SteemDataStore
+// it could be fs, badgerdb, whatever
+
+type KVStorer interface {
+	Open(string)
+	Get(*string) (*string, error)
+	Exists(*string) (bool, error)
+	Put(*string, *string) error
+	Close()
+}
+
+type RedisKVStore struct {
+	rc *redis.Client
+}
+
+func NewRedisKVStore() *RedisKVStore {
+	rkvs := new(RedisKVStore)
+	rkvs.Open("localhost:6379") //FIXME(sneak) use viper
+	return rkvs
+}
+
+func (self *RedisKVStore) Exists(keyname *string) (bool, error) {
+	val, err := self.rc.Exists(*keyname).Result()
+	if err != nil {
+		return false, err
+	}
+	if val == int64(1) {
+		return true, nil
+	} else {
+		return false, nil
+	}
+}
+
+func (self *RedisKVStore) Get(keyname *string) (*string, error) {
+	val, err := self.rc.Get(*keyname).Result()
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	return &val, nil
+}
+
+func (self *RedisKVStore) Put(keyname *string, value *string) error {
+	err := self.rc.Set(*keyname, *value, 0).Err()
+	if err != nil {
+		panic("unable to write to redis")
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
+func (self *RedisKVStore) Close() {
+	self.rc.Close()
+}
+
+func (self *RedisKVStore) Open(hostname string) {
+	self.rc = redis.NewClient(&redis.Options{
+		Addr:     hostname,
+		Password: "", // no password set
+		DB:       0,  // use default DB
+	})
+
+	_, err := self.rc.Ping().Result()
+	if err != nil {
+		panic(err)
+	}
+}
+
+type AferoFSKVStore struct {
+	fs *afero.Fs
+}
+
+// BadgerKVStore is an object that conforms to KeyValueStorer for use
+// by SteemDataStore to persist Steem data
+
+type BadgerKVStore struct {
+	db *badger.DB
+}
+
+func NewBadgerKVStore(dir string) *BadgerKVStore {
+	kv := new(BadgerKVStore)
+	kv.Open(dir)
+	return kv
+}
+
+func (kv *BadgerKVStore) Open(dir string) {
+	dir, err := ioutil.TempDir("", "badger")
+	if err != nil {
+		log.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	opts := badger.DefaultOptions
+	opts.Dir = dir
+	opts.ValueDir = dir
+	kv.db, err = badger.Open(opts)
+	if err != nil {
+		log.Fatal(err)
+	}
+}
+
+func (kv *BadgerKVStore) Close() {
+	kv.db.Close()
+}
+
+func (kv *BadgerKVStore) Put(key *string, value *string) error {
+	txn := kv.db.NewTransaction(true) // Read-write txn
+	err := txn.Set([]byte(*key), []byte(*value))
+	if err != nil {
+		log.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	err = txn.Commit(nil)
+	if err != nil {
+		log.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
+func (kv *BadgerKVStore) Get(key *string) (*string, error) {
+	txn := kv.db.NewTransaction(false)
+	item, err := txn.Get([]byte(*key))
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	val, err := item.ValueCopy(nil)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	s := string(val)
+	return &s, nil
+}
diff --git a/main.go b/main.go
index 9d3b5b2..ffbd187 100644
--- a/main.go
+++ b/main.go
@@ -18,7 +18,8 @@ func main() {
 
 func processinit() {
 	//FIXME(sneak) use viper to set loglevel
-	log.SetLevel(log.DebugLevel)
+	//log.SetLevel(log.DebugLevel)
+	log.SetLevel(log.InfoLevel)
 }
 
 type BlockNumber uint64
@@ -44,7 +45,7 @@ func NewApp(config *appconfig) *App {
 func (self *App) init(config *appconfig) {
 	self.api = NewSteemAPI(steemAPIURL)
 	self.datastore = NewSteemDataStore("./d")
-	self.desiredFetchingThreads = 10
+	self.desiredFetchingThreads = 20
 	self.currentFetchingThreads = 0
 	self.lock = &sync.Mutex{}
 }
@@ -87,7 +88,10 @@ func (self *App) spawnNewFetcher(blockNum BlockNumber) {
 	go func() {
 		self.incrFetchers()
 		self.storeBlockOps(blockNum, self.fetchBlockOps(blockNum))
+		self.datastore.SetCurrentBlockHeight()
+		time.Sleep(250 * time.Millisecond)
 		self.decrFetchers()
+
 	}()
 }
 
@@ -110,14 +114,16 @@ func (self *App) mainloop() {
 	for {
 		self.updateCurrentBlockHeight()
 		localHeight := self.datastore.CurrentBlockHeight()
-		time.Sleep(500 * time.Millisecond)
+		log.Infof("our highest fetched block height is %d", localHeight)
+		log.Infof("current number of active fetchers: %d", self.numFetchers())
+		time.Sleep(1 * time.Second)
 		if localHeight < self.currentNetworkBlockHeight {
 			// we need to fetch some blocks from the network
 			avail := self.desiredFetchingThreads - self.numFetchers()
 			diff := uint64(self.currentNetworkBlockHeight) - uint64(localHeight)
 			log.Infof("we need to fetch %d blocks", diff)
 			if uint64(diff) > uint64(avail) {
-				panic("not implemented yet")
+				self.parallelFetchAndStoreBlocks(BlockNumber(uint64(localHeight)+1), BlockNumber(uint64(localHeight)+1+uint64(avail)))
 			} else {
 				// just spawn fetchers for the blocks we don't have
 				// spawning will update the number of running fetchers