diff --git a/.travis.yml b/.travis.yml
index 7d86248..a0c13b6 100644
--- a/.travis.yml
+++ b/.travis.yml
@@ -26,19 +26,26 @@ services:
 - docker
 
 before_install:
+- ps -fHe
 - sudo service docker restart ; sleep 10  # https://github.com/travis-ci/travis-ci/issues/4778
 - docker run -d --publish=28015:28015 rethinkdb
 - docker run -d --publish=8020:8020 --publish=50070:50070 --publish=50010:50010 --publish=50020:50020 --publish=50075:50075 chalimartines/cdh5-pseudo-distributed
+- ps -fHe
 - virtualenv -p python3 /opt/trough-ve3
 - . /opt/trough-ve3/bin/activate
+- 'env | sort'
 - pip install git+https://github.com/jkafader/snakebite@feature/python3-version-string
 - pip install git+https://github.com/nlevitt/trough.git@toward-warcprox-dedup
 - 'sync.py >>/tmp/trough-sync-local.out 2>&1 &'
-- sleep 5 ; 'python -c $"import doublethink ; from trough.settings import settings ; rr = doublethink.Rethinker(settings[\"RETHINKDB_HOSTS\"]) ; rr.db(\"trough_configuration\").wait().run()"'
+- date
+- sleep 5
+- date
+- python -c "import doublethink ; from trough.settings import settings ; rr = doublethink.Rethinker(settings['RETHINKDB_HOSTS']) ; rr.db('trough_configuration').wait().run()"
 - 'sync.py --server >>/tmp/trough-sync-server.out 2>&1 &'
 - 'uwsgi --venv=/opt/trough-ve3 --http :6222 --master --processes=2 --harakiri=240 --max-requests=50000 --vacuum --die-on-term --wsgi-file /opt/trough-ve3/bin/writer.py >>/tmp/trough-write.out 2>&1 &'
 - 'uwsgi --venv=/opt/trough-ve3 --http :6112 --master --processes=2 --harakiri=20 --max-requests=50000 --vacuum --die-on-term --wsgi-file /opt/trough-ve3/bin/write_provisioner_local.py >>/tmp/trough-write-provisioner-local.out 2>&1 &'
 - 'uwsgi --venv=/opt/trough-ve3 --http :6111 --master --processes=2 --harakiri=20 --max-requests=50000 --vacuum --die-on-term --wsgi-file /opt/trough-ve3/bin/write_provisioner_server.py >>/tmp/trough-write-provisioner-server.out 2>&1 &'
+- ps -fHe
 
 install:
 - pip install . pytest requests warcio