diff --git a/src/stasis/bufferManager/bufferHash.c b/src/stasis/bufferManager/bufferHash.c
index 8a3f4eb..02922c8 100644
--- a/src/stasis/bufferManager/bufferHash.c
+++ b/src/stasis/bufferManager/bufferHash.c
@@ -308,7 +308,9 @@ static Page * bhLoadPageImpl_helper(stasis_buffer_manager_t* bm, stasis_buffer_m
     // try to read this page from disk.
     pthread_mutex_unlock(&bh->mut);
 
-    bh->page_handle->read(bh->page_handle, ret, type);
+    stasis_page_handle_t * h = handle ? (stasis_page_handle_t*)handle : bh->page_handle;
+
+    h->read(h, ret, type);
 
     pthread_mutex_lock(&bh->mut);
 
diff --git a/src/stasis/bufferManager/concurrentBufferManager.c b/src/stasis/bufferManager/concurrentBufferManager.c
index 50e02cd..291c562 100644
--- a/src/stasis/bufferManager/concurrentBufferManager.c
+++ b/src/stasis/bufferManager/concurrentBufferManager.c
@@ -200,7 +200,30 @@ static inline stasis_buffer_concurrent_hash_tls_t * populateTLS(stasis_buffer_ma
   }
   int count = 0;
   while(tls->p == NULL) {
-    Page * tmp = ch->lru->getStaleAndRemove(ch->lru);
+    Page * tmp;
+    int spin_count = 0;
+    while(!(tmp = ch->lru->getStaleAndRemove(ch->lru))) {
+      spin_count++;
+      if(needFlush(bm)) {
+        // exponential backoff -- don't test exponential backoff flag
+        // here.  LRU should only return null if we're in big trouble,
+        // or if the flag is set to true.
+
+        // wake writeback thread
+        pthread_cond_signal(&ch->needFree);
+
+        // sleep
+        struct timespec ts = { 0, (1024 * 1024) << (spin_count > 3 ? 3 : spin_count) };
+        nanosleep(&ts, 0);
+        if(spin_count > 9) {
+          static int warned = 0;
+          if(!warned) {
+            fprintf(stderr, "Warning: lots of spinning attempting to get page from LRU\n");
+            warned = 1;
+          }
+        }
+      }
+    }
     hashtable_bucket_handle_t h;
     tls->p = hashtable_remove_begin(ch->ht, tmp->id, &h);
     if(tls->p) {
@@ -265,12 +288,14 @@ static inline stasis_buffer_concurrent_hash_tls_t * populateTLS(stasis_buffer_ma
 
 static void chReleasePage(stasis_buffer_manager_t * bm, Page * p);
 
-static Page * chLoadPageImpl_helper(stasis_buffer_manager_t* bm, int xid, const pageid_t pageid, int uninitialized, pagetype_t type) {
+static Page * chLoadPageImpl_helper(stasis_buffer_manager_t* bm, int xid, stasis_page_handle_t *ph, const pageid_t pageid, int uninitialized, pagetype_t type) {
   stasis_buffer_concurrent_hash_t *ch = bm->impl;
   stasis_buffer_concurrent_hash_tls_t *tls = populateTLS(bm);
   hashtable_bucket_handle_t h;
   Page * p = 0;
 
+  ph = ph ? ph : ch->page_handle;
+
   do {
     if(p) { // the last time around pinned the wrong page!
       chReleasePage(bm, p);
@@ -304,7 +329,7 @@ static Page * chLoadPageImpl_helper(stasis_buffer_manager_t* bm, int xid, const
         type = UNINITIALIZED_PAGE;
         stasis_page_loaded(p, UNINITIALIZED_PAGE);
       } else {
-        ch->page_handle->read(ch->page_handle, p, type);
+        ph->read(ph, p, type);
       }
       unlock(p->loadlatch);
 
@@ -322,10 +347,10 @@ static Page * chLoadPageImpl_helper(stasis_buffer_manager_t* bm, int xid, const
   return p;
 }
 static Page * chLoadPageImpl(stasis_buffer_manager_t *bm, stasis_buffer_manager_handle_t *h, int xid, const pageid_t pageid, pagetype_t type) {
-  return chLoadPageImpl_helper(bm, xid, pageid, 0, type);
+  return chLoadPageImpl_helper(bm, xid, (stasis_page_handle_t*)h, pageid, 0, type);
 }
 static Page * chLoadUninitPageImpl(stasis_buffer_manager_t *bm, int xid, const pageid_t pageid) {
-  return chLoadPageImpl_helper(bm, xid,pageid,1,UNKNOWN_TYPE_PAGE); // 1 means dont care about preimage of page.
+  return chLoadPageImpl_helper(bm, xid, 0, pageid,1,UNKNOWN_TYPE_PAGE); // 1 means dont care about preimage of page.
 }
 static void chReleasePage(stasis_buffer_manager_t * bm, Page * p) {
   stasis_buffer_concurrent_hash_t * ch = bm->impl;
@@ -369,11 +394,12 @@ static void chBufDeinit(stasis_buffer_manager_t * bm) {
   chBufDeinitHelper(bm, 0);
 }
 static stasis_buffer_manager_handle_t * chOpenHandle(stasis_buffer_manager_t *bm, int is_sequential) {
-  // no-op
-  return (void*)1;
+  stasis_buffer_concurrent_hash_t * bh = bm->impl;
+  return (stasis_buffer_manager_handle_t*)bh->page_handle->dup(bh->page_handle, is_sequential);
 }
 static int chCloseHandle(stasis_buffer_manager_t *bm, stasis_buffer_manager_handle_t* h) {
-  return 0; // no error
+  ((stasis_page_handle_t*)h)->close((stasis_page_handle_t*)h);
+  return 0;
 }
 
 stasis_buffer_manager_t* stasis_buffer_manager_concurrent_hash_open(stasis_page_handle_t * h, stasis_log_t * log, stasis_dirty_page_table_t * dpt) {
diff --git a/src/stasis/flags.c b/src/stasis/flags.c
index 285200c..14fcc4a 100644
--- a/src/stasis/flags.c
+++ b/src/stasis/flags.c
@@ -33,6 +33,11 @@ int stasis_buffer_manager_hint_writes_are_sequential = STASIS_BUFFER_MANAGER_HIN
 int stasis_buffer_manager_hint_writes_are_sequential = 0;
 #endif
 
+#ifdef STASIS_BUFFER_MANAGER_DEBUG_STRESS_LATCHING
+int stasis_buffer_manager_debug_stress_latching = STASIS_BUFFER_MANAGER_DEBUG_STRESS_LATCHING;
+#else
+int stasis_buffer_manager_debug_stress_latching = 0;
+#endif
 
 #ifdef BUFFER_MANAGER_O_DIRECT
 int bufferManagerO_DIRECT = BUFFER_MANAGER_O_DIRECT;
diff --git a/src/stasis/replacementPolicy/concurrentWrapper.c b/src/stasis/replacementPolicy/concurrentWrapper.c
index 851c586..85596b7 100644
--- a/src/stasis/replacementPolicy/concurrentWrapper.c
+++ b/src/stasis/replacementPolicy/concurrentWrapper.c
@@ -80,19 +80,15 @@ static void* cwGetStaleHelper(struct replacementPolicy* impl, void*(*func)(struc
     pthread_mutex_unlock(&rp->mut[bucket]);
     bucket = hash_mod(rp, bucket + 1);
     spin_count++;
-    if(stasis_replacement_policy_concurrent_wrapper_exponential_backoff &&
+    if((!ret) &&
+       stasis_replacement_policy_concurrent_wrapper_exponential_backoff &&
        spin_count > 1) {
-      // exponential backoff
-      // 3 -> we wait no more than 8msec
-      struct timespec ts = { 0, 1024 * 1024 << (spin_count > 3 ? 3 : spin_count) };
-      nanosleep(&ts,0);
-      if(spin_count > 9) {
-        static int warned = 0;
-        if(!warned) {
-          fprintf(stderr, "Warning: lots of spinning in concurrent wrapper\n");
-          warned = 1;
-        }
+
+      if(bucket != oldbucket) {
+        pthread_setspecific(rp->next_bucket, (void*) bucket);
       }
+
+      return 0;
     }
   }
   if(ret == 0) {  // should be extremely rare.
diff --git a/src/stasis/replacementPolicy/lruFast.c b/src/stasis/replacementPolicy/lruFast.c
index ab2c318..c779a33 100644
--- a/src/stasis/replacementPolicy/lruFast.c
+++ b/src/stasis/replacementPolicy/lruFast.c
@@ -54,12 +54,17 @@ static void  stasis_lru_fast_insert(struct replacementPolicy* r, void * p) {
   lruFast * l = r->impl;
   (*l->derefCount(p))--;
   assert(*l->derefCount(p) >= 0);
-  if(stasis_buffer_manager_hint_writes_are_sequential) {
+  if(stasis_buffer_manager_hint_writes_are_sequential &&
+     !stasis_buffer_manager_debug_stress_latching) {
     // We are in sequential mode, and only want to evict pages from
     // the writeback thread.  Therefore, it would be a waste of time
     // to put this dirty page in the LRU.  (Also, we know that, when
     // the page is evicted, it will be taken out of LRU, and put back in.
 
+    // If we're *trying* to stress the buffer manager latches, etc, then
+    // insert the dirty page.  This will cause the buffer manager to perform
+    // all sorts of useless (and otherwise rare) latching operations.
+
     if(!*l->derefCount(p) && !((Page*)p)->dirty) {
       int err = LL_ENTRY(push)(l->lru, p);
       assert(!err);
diff --git a/stasis/flags.h b/stasis/flags.h
index b93b3f8..33b423c 100644
--- a/stasis/flags.h
+++ b/stasis/flags.h
@@ -28,6 +28,14 @@ extern pageid_t stasis_buffer_manager_size;
    so that we can get good concurrency on our writes.
  */
 extern int stasis_buffer_manager_hint_writes_are_sequential;
+/**
+   If this is true, then disable some optimizations associated with sequential
+   write mode.  This will needlessly burn CPU by inserting dirty pages into
+   the LRU.  In sequential write mode, these dirty pages will cause populateTLS
+   to loop excessively, excercising all sorts of extremely rare thread
+   synchronization schedules.
+ */
+extern int stasis_buffer_manager_debug_stress_latching;
 /**
    This determines which type of file handle the buffer manager will use.