diff --git a/router/java/src/net/i2p/router/transport/tcp/TCPConnection.java b/router/java/src/net/i2p/router/transport/tcp/TCPConnection.java
index 3523d4a35..1c58816f9 100644
--- a/router/java/src/net/i2p/router/transport/tcp/TCPConnection.java
+++ b/router/java/src/net/i2p/router/transport/tcp/TCPConnection.java
@@ -68,7 +68,7 @@ class TCPConnection implements I2NPMessageReader.I2NPMessageEventListener {
     protected RouterContext _context;
     
     public final static String PARAM_MAX_QUEUED_MESSAGES = "i2np.tcp.maxQueuedMessages";
-    private final static int DEFAULT_MAX_QUEUED_MESSAGES = 20;
+    private final static int DEFAULT_MAX_QUEUED_MESSAGES = 10;
 
     public TCPConnection(RouterContext context, Socket s, boolean locallyInitiated) {
         _context = context;
@@ -267,7 +267,8 @@ class TCPConnection implements I2NPMessageReader.I2NPMessageEventListener {
             pending.append(totalPending).append(": ");
             for (int i = 0; i < totalPending; i++) {
                 OutNetMessage cur = (OutNetMessage)_toBeSent.get(i);
-                pending.append(cur.getMessage().getClass().getName());
+                pending.append(cur.getMessageSize()).append(" byte ");
+                pending.append(cur.getMessageType()).append(" message added");
                 pending.append(" added ").append(cur.getLifetime()).append(" ms ago, ");
             }
             _toBeSent.notifyAll();
@@ -285,6 +286,9 @@ class TCPConnection implements I2NPMessageReader.I2NPMessageEventListener {
             
             msg.timestamp("TCPConnection.addMessage exceeded max queued");
             _transport.afterSend(msg, false);
+            // should we really be closing a connection if they're that slow?  
+            // yeah, i think we should.
+            closeConnection();
             return;
         }
 	
@@ -347,7 +351,7 @@ class TCPConnection implements I2NPMessageReader.I2NPMessageEventListener {
                     if (_log.shouldLog(Log.WARN))
                         _log.warn("Connection closed while the message was sitting on the TCP Connection's queue!  too slow by: " 
                                   + (now-msg.getExpiration()) + "ms: " + msg);
-                    _transport.afterSend(msg, false);
+                    _transport.afterSend(msg, false, false);
                 }
                 _toBeSent.clear();
             }
@@ -395,7 +399,7 @@ class TCPConnection implements I2NPMessageReader.I2NPMessageEventListener {
     
     public void readError(I2NPMessageReader reader, Exception error) {
         if (_log.shouldLog(Log.ERROR))
-            _log.error("Error reading from stream to " + _remoteIdentity.getHash().toBase64());
+            _log.error("Error reading from stream to " + _remoteIdentity.getHash().toBase64() + ": " + error.getMessage());
         if (_log.shouldLog(Log.DEBUG))
             _log.debug("Error reading from stream to " + _remoteIdentity.getHash().toBase64(), error);
     }
@@ -406,7 +410,7 @@ class TCPConnection implements I2NPMessageReader.I2NPMessageEventListener {
      * larger messages - perhaps this min-throughput should be implemented on the
      * output stream as part of the throttling code?  hmmm)
      */
-    private final static long MAX_SLICE_DURATION = 120*1000;
+    private final static long MAX_SLICE_DURATION = 60*1000;
     /**
      * Determine if the connection runner is hanging while running its slices.  This can 
      * occur if there's a broken TCP connection that hasn't timed out yet (3 minutes later..)
@@ -451,11 +455,11 @@ class TCPConnection implements I2NPMessageReader.I2NPMessageEventListener {
 
             synchronized (_toBeSent) {
                 // loop through, dropping expired messages, waiting until a non-expired
-                // one is added, or 30 seconds have passed (catchall in case things bork)
+                // one is added, or 10 seconds have passed (catchall in case things bork)
                 while (msg == null) {
                     if (_toBeSent.size() <= 0) {
                         try {
-                            _toBeSent.wait(30*1000);
+                            _toBeSent.wait(10*1000);
                         } catch (InterruptedException ie) {}
                     }
                     remaining = _toBeSent.size();
@@ -507,8 +511,10 @@ class TCPConnection implements I2NPMessageReader.I2NPMessageEventListener {
                     _log.debug("Sending " + data.length + " bytes in the slice... to " 
                                + _remoteIdentity.getHash().toBase64());
 
+                long beforeWrite = 0;
                 try {
                     synchronized (_out) {
+                        beforeWrite = _context.clock().now();
                         _out.write(data);
                         _out.flush();
                     }
@@ -519,17 +525,21 @@ class TCPConnection implements I2NPMessageReader.I2NPMessageEventListener {
                     return false;
                 }
 
-                msg.timestamp("TCPConnection.runner.processSlice sent and flushed");
+                long exp = msg.getMessage().getMessageExpiration().getTime();
                 long end = _context.clock().now();
+                long timeLeft = exp - end;
 
-                long timeLeft = msg.getMessage().getMessageExpiration().getTime() - end;
+                msg.timestamp("TCPConnection.runner.processSlice sent and flushed");
+                
                 if (_log.shouldLog(Log.INFO))
                     _log.info("Message " + msg.getMessage().getClass().getName() 
                               + " (expiring in " + timeLeft + "ms) sent to " 
                               + _remoteIdentity.getHash().toBase64() + " from " 
                               + _context.routerHash().toBase64()
                               + " over connection " + _id + " with " + data.length 
-                              + " bytes in " + (end - start) + "ms");
+                              + " bytes in " + (end - afterExpire) + "ms (write took "
+                              + (end - beforeWrite) + "ms, prepare took "
+                              + (beforeWrite - afterExpire) + "ms)");
                 if (timeLeft < 10*1000) {
                     if (_log.shouldLog(Log.DEBUG))
                         _log.warn("Very little time left... time to send [" + (end-start) 
@@ -549,7 +559,7 @@ class TCPConnection implements I2NPMessageReader.I2NPMessageEventListener {
 
                 if (_log.shouldLog(Log.DEBUG))
                     _log.debug("Processing slice - message sent completely: " 
-                               + msg.getMessage().getClass().getName()  + " to " 
+                               + msg.getMessageSize() + " byte " + msg.getMessageType()  + " message to " 
                                + _remoteIdentity.getHash().toBase64());
                 if (end - afterExpire > 1000) {
                     if (_log.shouldLog(Log.WARN))