diff --git a/cmd/gotelem/cli/client.go b/cmd/gotelem/cli/client.go
index a32222d..03626fe 100644
--- a/cmd/gotelem/cli/client.go
+++ b/cmd/gotelem/cli/client.go
@@ -7,6 +7,8 @@ import (
 	"io"
 	"os"
 	"strings"
+	"sync"
+	"sync/atomic"
 
 	"github.com/kschamplin/gotelem/internal/db"
 	"github.com/kschamplin/gotelem/internal/logparsers"
@@ -89,7 +91,17 @@ func importAction(ctx *cli.Context) error {
 	batchIdx := 0
 
 	// stats for imports
-	var n_packets int64 = 0
+	var n_pkt atomic.Int64 
+
+	delegateInsert := func(events []skylab.BusEvent) {
+		n, err := db.AddEventsCtx(ctx.Context, events...)
+		if err != nil {
+			fmt.Printf("%v", err)
+		}
+		n_pkt.Add(n)
+	}
+
+	var wg sync.WaitGroup
 	n_unknown := 0
 	n_error := 0
 	for {
@@ -109,7 +121,7 @@ func importAction(ctx *cli.Context) error {
 			continue
 		} else if err != nil {
 			// TODO: we should consider absorbing all errors.
-			fmt.Printf("got an error processing %s: %v\n", line, err)
+			fmt.Printf("got an error processing '%s': %v\n", strings.TrimSpace(line), err)
 			n_error++
 			continue
 		}
@@ -117,24 +129,29 @@ func importAction(ctx *cli.Context) error {
 		batchIdx++
 		if batchIdx >= int(bSize) {
 			// flush it!!!!
-			n, err := db.AddEventsCtx(ctx.Context, eventsBatch...)
-			if err != nil {
-				fmt.Printf("error adding to database %v\n", err)
-			}
-			n_packets += n
+			wg.Add(1)
+			e := make([]skylab.BusEvent, 0, bSize)
+			copy(e, eventsBatch)
+			go func(e []skylab.BusEvent) {
+				delegateInsert(e)
+				wg.Done()
+			}(e)
 			batchIdx = 0 // reset the batch
 		}
 
 	}
 	// check if we have remaining packets and flush them
 	if batchIdx > 0 {
-		n, err := db.AddEventsCtx(ctx.Context, eventsBatch[:batchIdx]...) // note the slice here!
-		if err != nil {
-			fmt.Printf("error adding to database %v\n", err)
-		}
-		n_packets += n
+		wg.Add(1)
+
+		go func() {
+			// n, err := db.AddEventsCtx(ctx.Context, eventsBatch[:batchIdx]...) // note the slice here!
+			delegateInsert(eventsBatch[:batchIdx])
+			wg.Done()
+		}()
 	}
-	fmt.Printf("import status: %d successful, %d unknown, %d errors\n", n_packets, n_unknown, n_error)
+	wg.Wait()
+	fmt.Printf("import status: %d successful, %d unknown, %d errors\n", n_pkt.Load(), n_unknown, n_error)
 
 	return nil
 }
diff --git a/internal/db/db.go b/internal/db/db.go
index 6867b87..4ca105f 100644
--- a/internal/db/db.go
+++ b/internal/db/db.go
@@ -72,8 +72,7 @@ func (tdb *TelemDb) SetVersion(version int) error {
 
 // sql expression to insert a bus event into the packets database.1
 const sqlInsertEvent = `
-INSERT INTO "bus_events" (ts, name, data) VALUES
-`
+INSERT INTO "bus_events" (ts, name, data) VALUES `
 
 // AddEvent adds the bus event to the database.
 func (tdb *TelemDb) AddEventsCtx(ctx context.Context, events ...skylab.BusEvent) (n int64, err error) {
@@ -150,7 +149,7 @@ func (tdb *TelemDb) AddEventStreamCtx(ctx context.Context, events <-chan skylab.
 	bulkStmt, err := makePreparedStmt(ctx, tx, BatchSize)
 
 	// this is the list of values that we use.
-	valBatch := make([]interface{}, 0, BatchSize * 3)
+	valBatch := make([]interface{}, 0, BatchSize*3)
 	batchIdx := 0
 	for {
 		e, more := <-events