diff --git a/pkg/encoders/event/event.go b/pkg/encoders/event/event.go
index 90b6a98..31caf39 100644
--- a/pkg/encoders/event/event.go
+++ b/pkg/encoders/event/event.go
@@ -111,27 +111,11 @@ func (ev *E) MarshalJSON() (b []byte, err error) {
 	b = ints.New(ev.Kind).Marshal(b)
 	b = append(b, `,"`...)
 	b = append(b, jTags...)
-	b = append(b, `":[`...)
+	b = append(b, `":`...)
 	if ev.Tags != nil {
-		lts := len(*ev.Tags) - 1
-		for i, tt := range *ev.Tags {
-			b = append(b, '[')
-			lt := len(tt.T) - 1
-			for j, t := range tt.T {
-				b = append(b, '"')
-				b = append(b, t...)
-				b = append(b, '"')
-				if j < lt {
-					b = append(b, ',')
-				}
-			}
-			b = append(b, ']')
-			if i < lts {
-				b = append(b, ',')
-			}
-		}
+		b = ev.Tags.Marshal(b)
 	}
-	b = append(b, `],"`...)
+	b = append(b, `,"`...)
 	b = append(b, jContent...)
 	b = append(b, `":"`...)
 	// it can happen the slice has insufficient capacity to hold the content AND
@@ -175,6 +159,7 @@ func (ev *E) UnmarshalJSON(b []byte) (err error) {
 			goto BetweenKeys
 		}
 	}
+	log.I.F("start")
 	goto eof
 BetweenKeys:
 	for ; len(b) > 0; b = b[1:] {
@@ -187,6 +172,7 @@ BetweenKeys:
 			goto InKey
 		}
 	}
+	log.I.F("BetweenKeys")
 	goto eof
 InKey:
 	for ; len(b) > 0; b = b[1:] {
@@ -196,6 +182,7 @@ InKey:
 		}
 		key = append(key, b[0])
 	}
+	log.I.F("InKey")
 	goto eof
 InKV:
 	for ; len(b) > 0; b = b[1:] {
@@ -208,6 +195,7 @@ InKV:
 			goto InVal
 		}
 	}
+	log.I.F("InKV")
 	goto eof
 InVal:
 	// Skip whitespace before value
@@ -298,9 +286,11 @@ InVal:
 			if !utils.FastEqual(jCreatedAt, key) {
 				goto invalid
 			}
-			if b, err = ints.New(0).Unmarshal(b); chk.T(err) {
+			i := ints.New(0)
+			if b, err = i.Unmarshal(b); chk.T(err) {
 				return
 			}
+			ev.CreatedAt = i.Int64()
 			goto BetweenKV
 		} else {
 			goto invalid
@@ -315,7 +305,6 @@ BetweenKV:
 		if isWhitespace(b[0]) {
 			continue
 		}
-
 		switch {
 		case len(b) == 0:
 			return
diff --git a/pkg/encoders/event/event_test.go b/pkg/encoders/event/event_test.go
index 6a77e6e..ddcedb1 100644
--- a/pkg/encoders/event/event_test.go
+++ b/pkg/encoders/event/event_test.go
@@ -1,16 +1,21 @@
 package event
 
 import (
+	"bufio"
+	"bytes"
 	"encoding/json"
 	"testing"
 	"time"
 
 	"lol.mleku.dev/chk"
+	"lol.mleku.dev/log"
 	"lukechampine.com/frand"
+	"next.orly.dev/pkg/encoders/event/examples"
 	"next.orly.dev/pkg/encoders/hex"
 	"next.orly.dev/pkg/encoders/tag"
 	"next.orly.dev/pkg/utils"
 	"next.orly.dev/pkg/utils/bufpool"
+	"next.orly.dev/pkg/utils/units"
 )
 
 func TestMarshalJSONUnmarshalJSON(t *testing.T) {
@@ -35,13 +40,12 @@ func TestMarshalJSONUnmarshalJSON(t *testing.T) {
 `)
 		ev.Sig = frand.Bytes(64)
 		// log.I.S(ev)
-		b, err := ev.MarshalJSON()
+		// b, err := ev.MarshalJSON()
+		var err error
+		var b []byte
 		if b, err = json.Marshal(ev); chk.E(err) {
 			t.Fatal(err)
 		}
-		if err != nil {
-			t.Fatal(err)
-		}
 		var bc []byte
 		bc = append(bc, b...)
 		ev2 := New()
@@ -49,7 +53,7 @@ func TestMarshalJSONUnmarshalJSON(t *testing.T) {
 			t.Fatal(err)
 		}
 		var b2 []byte
-		if b2, err = ev.MarshalJSON(); err != nil {
+		if b2, err = json.Marshal(ev2); err != nil {
 			t.Fatal(err)
 		}
 		if !utils.FastEqual(bc, b2) {
@@ -65,5 +69,30 @@ func TestMarshalJSONUnmarshalJSON(t *testing.T) {
 }
 
 func TestExamplesCache(t *testing.T) {
-
+	scanner := bufio.NewScanner(bytes.NewBuffer(examples.Cache))
+	scanner.Buffer(make([]byte, 0, 4*units.Mb), 4*units.Mb)
+	var err error
+	for scanner.Scan() {
+		b := scanner.Bytes()
+		c := bufpool.Get()
+		c = c[:0]
+		c = append(c, b...)
+		ev := New()
+		if err = ev.UnmarshalJSON(b); chk.E(err) {
+			t.Fatal(err)
+		}
+		var b2 []byte
+		if b2, err = ev.MarshalJSON(); err != nil {
+			t.Fatal(err)
+		}
+		if !utils.FastEqual(c, b2) {
+			log.I.F("\n%s\n%s", c, b2)
+			t.Fatalf("failed to re-marshal back original")
+		}
+		ev.Free()
+		// Don't return scanner.Bytes() to the pool as it's not a buffer we own
+		// bufpool.PutBytes(b)
+		bufpool.PutBytes(b2)
+		bufpool.PutBytes(c)
+	}
 }
diff --git a/pkg/encoders/ints/ints.go b/pkg/encoders/ints/ints.go
index 2043d82..5d120c0 100644
--- a/pkg/encoders/ints/ints.go
+++ b/pkg/encoders/ints/ints.go
@@ -109,6 +109,7 @@ func (n *T) Unmarshal(b []byte) (r []byte, err error) {
 			break
 		}
 	}
+	// log.I.F("%s", b)
 	if len(b) == 0 {
 		err = io.EOF
 		return
@@ -116,6 +117,7 @@ func (n *T) Unmarshal(b []byte) (r []byte, err error) {
 	// count the digits
 	for ; sLen < len(b) && b[sLen] >= zero && b[sLen] <= nine && b[sLen] != ','; sLen++ {
 	}
+	// log.I.F("%s", b[:sLen])
 	if sLen == 0 {
 		err = errorf.E("zero length number")
 		return
@@ -127,9 +129,13 @@ func (n *T) Unmarshal(b []byte) (r []byte, err error) {
 	// the length of the string found
 	r = b[sLen:]
 	b = b[:sLen]
+	// log.I.F("\n%s\n%s", b, r)
+	n.N = uint64(b[0]) - zero
+	b = b[1:]
 	for _, ch := range b {
 		ch -= zero
 		n.N = n.N*10 + uint64(ch)
 	}
+	// log.I.F("%d", n.N)
 	return
 }
diff --git a/pkg/encoders/tag/tag.go b/pkg/encoders/tag/tag.go
index 28512b6..e946fb6 100644
--- a/pkg/encoders/tag/tag.go
+++ b/pkg/encoders/tag/tag.go
@@ -33,8 +33,7 @@ func (t *T) Free() {
 // Marshal encodes a tag.T as standard minified JSON array of strings.
 //
 // Call bufpool.PutBytes(b) to return the buffer to the bufpool after use.
-func (t *T) Marshal() (b []byte) {
-	dst := t.b
+func (t *T) Marshal(dst []byte) (b []byte) {
 	dst = append(dst, '[')
 	for i, s := range t.T {
 		dst = text.AppendQuote(dst, s, text.NostrEscape)
diff --git a/pkg/encoders/tag/tags.go b/pkg/encoders/tag/tags.go
index f5def4c..425007c 100644
--- a/pkg/encoders/tag/tags.go
+++ b/pkg/encoders/tag/tags.go
@@ -16,7 +16,19 @@ func (s *S) MarshalJSON() (b []byte, err error) {
 	b = bufpool.Get()
 	b = append(b, '[')
 	for i, ss := range *s {
-		b = append(b, ss.Marshal()...)
+		b = ss.Marshal(b)
+		if i < len(*s)-1 {
+			b = append(b, ',')
+		}
+	}
+	b = append(b, ']')
+	return
+}
+
+func (s *S) Marshal(dst []byte) (b []byte) {
+	b = append(dst, '[')
+	for i, ss := range *s {
+		b = ss.Marshal(b)
 		if i < len(*s)-1 {
 			b = append(b, ',')
 		}
diff --git a/pkg/utils/bufpool/bufpool.go b/pkg/utils/bufpool/bufpool.go
index 83e376c..5d82be2 100644
--- a/pkg/utils/bufpool/bufpool.go
+++ b/pkg/utils/bufpool/bufpool.go
@@ -74,5 +74,6 @@ func PutBytes(b []byte) {
 			return fmt.Sprintf("returning bytes to buffer: %p", ptr)
 		},
 	)
+	b = b[:0]
 	Put(b)
 }