Index: dbfile.scm
==================================================================
--- dbfile.scm
+++ dbfile.scm
@@ -276,23 +276,27 @@
 (define (dbfile:open-db dbstruct run-id init-proc)
   (if (> *dbfile:num-handles-in-use* 10)
       (let* ((wait-delay (- *dbfile:num-handles-in-use* 9)))
 	(dbfile:print-err "INFO: over ten dbfile handle threads in use ("*dbfile:num-handles-in-use*") delaying "wait-delay" second")
 	(thread-sleep! wait-delay)))
-  
   (let* ((subdb (dbfile:get-subdb dbstruct run-id)))
     (if (not subdb) ;; not yet defined
 	(begin
 	  (dbfile:init-subdb dbstruct run-id init-proc)
 	  (dbfile:open-db dbstruct run-id init-proc))
 	(let* ((dbdat (dbfile:get-dbdat dbstruct run-id)))
 	  (if dbdat
 	      dbdat
 	      (let* ((tmppath   (dbr:dbstruct-tmppath  dbstruct))
-		     (tmpdbpath (dbfile:run-id->path tmppath run-id)))
-		(dbfile:open-sqlite3-db tmpdbpath init-proc sync-mode: 0 journal-mode: "WAL")))))))
-
+		     (tmpdbpath (dbfile:run-id->path tmppath run-id))
+		     (dbdat     (dbfile:open-sqlite3-db tmpdbpath init-proc sync-mode: 0 journal-mode: "WAL")))
+		;; the following line short-circuits the "one db handle per thread" model
+		;; 
+		(dbfile:add-dbdat dbstruct run-id dbdat)
+		;;
+		dbdat))))))
+    
 ;; COMBINE dbfile:open-sqlite-db and dbfile:lock-create-open
 ;;
 
 ;; this stuff is for initial debugging, please remove it when
 ;; this code stabilizes