diff --git a/TODO.md b/TODO.md
index 687869fd..d846ce19 100644
--- a/TODO.md
+++ b/TODO.md
@@ -1,8 +1,10 @@
 # Todo
 
-- [ ] it works for a few seconds and then gets stuck on something
+- [x] it works for a few seconds and then gets stuck on something.
+  - [x] its working with one backend node, but multiple breaks. something to do with pending transactions
+  - [x] dashmap entry api is easy to deadlock! be careful with it!
 - [ ] rpc errors propagate too far. one subscription failing ends the app. isolate the providers more
-- [ ] its working with one backend node, but multiple breaks. something to do with pending transactions
+- [ ] ethers has a transactions_unsorted httprpc method that we should probably use. all rpcs probably don't support it, so make it okay for that to fail
 - [ ] if web3 proxy gets an http error back, retry another node
 - [x] refactor Connection::spawn. have it return a handle to the spawned future of it running with block and transaction subscriptions
 - [x] refactor Connections::spawn. have it return a handle that is selecting on those handles?
diff --git a/web3-proxy/src/connection.rs b/web3-proxy/src/connection.rs
index d5b6dc27..eecc9834 100644
--- a/web3-proxy/src/connection.rs
+++ b/web3-proxy/src/connection.rs
@@ -162,6 +162,7 @@ impl Web3Connection {
         // check the server's chain_id here
         // TODO: move this outside the `new` function and into a `start` function or something
         // TODO: some public rpcs (on bsc and fantom) do not return an id and so this ends up being an error
+        // TODO: this will wait forever. do we want that?
         let found_chain_id: Result<String, _> = connection
             .wait_for_request_handle()
             .await
@@ -385,7 +386,6 @@ impl Web3Connection {
                     // query the block once since the subscription doesn't send the current block
                     // there is a very small race condition here where the stream could send us a new block right now
                     // all it does is print "new block" for the same block as current block
-                    // TODO: subscribe to Block<TransactionReceipt> instead?
                     let block: Result<Block<TxHash>, _> = self
                         .wait_for_request_handle()
                         .await
@@ -492,11 +492,12 @@ impl Web3Connection {
         Ok(())
     }
 
+    /// be careful with this; it will wait forever!
     #[instrument(skip_all)]
     pub async fn wait_for_request_handle(self: &Arc<Self>) -> ActiveRequestHandle {
-        // TODO: maximum wait time
+        // TODO: maximum wait time?
 
-        for _ in 0..10 {
+        loop {
             match self.try_request_handle().await {
                 Ok(pending_request_handle) => return pending_request_handle,
                 Err(retry_after) => {
@@ -504,9 +505,6 @@ impl Web3Connection {
                 }
             }
         }
-
-        // TODO: what should we do? panic isn't ever what we want
-        panic!("no request handle after 10 tries");
     }
 
     pub async fn try_request_handle(self: &Arc<Self>) -> Result<ActiveRequestHandle, Duration> {
diff --git a/web3-proxy/src/connections.rs b/web3-proxy/src/connections.rs
index 98134ec8..0749fea0 100644
--- a/web3-proxy/src/connections.rs
+++ b/web3-proxy/src/connections.rs
@@ -161,15 +161,26 @@ impl Web3Connections {
         &self,
         rpc: Arc<Web3Connection>,
         pending_tx_id: TxHash,
-    ) -> Result<TxState, ProviderError> {
+    ) -> Result<Option<TxState>, ProviderError> {
         // TODO: yearn devs have had better luck with batching these, but i think that's likely just adding a delay itself
         // TODO: there is a race here sometimes the rpc isn't yet ready to serve the transaction (even though they told us about it!)
         // TODO: maximum wait time
-        let pending_transaction: Transaction = rpc
-            .wait_for_request_handle()
-            .await
-            .request("eth_getTransactionByHash", (pending_tx_id,))
-            .await?;
+        let pending_transaction: Transaction = match rpc.try_request_handle().await {
+            Ok(request_handle) => {
+                request_handle
+                    .request("eth_getTransactionByHash", (pending_tx_id,))
+                    .await?
+            }
+            Err(err) => {
+                trace!(
+                    ?pending_tx_id,
+                    ?rpc,
+                    ?err,
+                    "cancelled funneling transaction"
+                );
+                return Ok(None);
+            }
+        };
 
         trace!(?pending_transaction, "pending");
 
@@ -177,9 +188,9 @@ impl Web3Connections {
         match &pending_transaction.block_hash {
             Some(_block_hash) => {
                 // the transaction is already confirmed. no need to save in the pending_transactions map
-                Ok(TxState::Confirmed(pending_transaction))
+                Ok(Some(TxState::Confirmed(pending_transaction)))
             }
-            None => Ok(TxState::Pending(pending_transaction)),
+            None => Ok(Some(TxState::Pending(pending_transaction))),
         }
     }
 
@@ -207,7 +218,7 @@ impl Web3Connections {
         // query the rpc for this transaction
         // it is possible that another rpc is also being queried. thats fine. we want the fastest response
         match self._funnel_transaction(rpc.clone(), pending_tx_id).await {
-            Ok(tx_state) => {
+            Ok(Some(tx_state)) => {
                 let _ = pending_tx_sender.send(tx_state);
 
                 trace!(?pending_tx_id, "sent");
@@ -215,6 +226,7 @@ impl Web3Connections {
                 // we sent the transaction. return now. don't break looping because that gives a warning
                 return Ok(());
             }
+            Ok(None) => {}
             Err(err) => {
                 trace!(?err, ?pending_tx_id, "failed fetching transaction");
                 // unable to update the entry. sleep and try again soon