diff --git a/rethinkstuff/__init__.py b/rethinkstuff/__init__.py
index 5300b64..b7666fc 100644
--- a/rethinkstuff/__init__.py
+++ b/rethinkstuff/__init__.py
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import random
 import time
 import types
 import socket
+import os
 
 class RethinkerWrapper(object):
     logger = logging.getLogger('rethinkstuff.RethinkerWrapper')
@@ -107,7 +108,9 @@ class ServiceRegistry(object):
         'role': 'brozzler-worker',
         'load': 0.5, # load score
         'heartbeat_interval': 20.0,
-        'host': 'wbgrp-svc999.us.archive.org',    # set in svcreg.heartbeat() as a fallback
+        'host': 'wbgrp-svc999.us.archive.org',           # set in svcreg.heartbeat() as a fallback
+        'pid': 1234,                                     # set in svcreg.heartbeat() as a fallback
+        'first_heartbeat': '2015-10-30T03:39:40.080814', # set in svcreg.heartbeat()
         'last_heartbeat': '2015-10-30T05:54:35.422866',  # set in svcreg.heartbeat()
         ... plus anything else you want...
     }
@@ -133,8 +136,13 @@ class ServiceRegistry(object):
     def heartbeat(self, status_info):
         '''Returns id of rethinkdb document (generated by rethinkdb on first insert)'''
         status_info['last_heartbeat'] = r.now()
+        if not 'first_heartbeat' in status_info:
+            status_info['first_heartbeat'] = status_info['last_heartbeat']
+        status_info['last_heartbeat'] = r.now()
         if not 'host' in status_info:
             status_info['host'] = socket.gethostname()
+        if not 'pid' in status_info:
+            status_info['pid'] = os.getpid()
         result = self.r.table('services').insert(status_info, conflict='replace', return_changes=True).run()
         # XXX check 
         return result['changes'][0]['new_val']
diff --git a/tests/test_rethinker.py b/tests/test_rethinker.py
index a3254f7..14bf3ef 100644
--- a/tests/test_rethinker.py
+++ b/tests/test_rethinker.py
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import pytest
 import rethinkdb
 import time
 import socket
+import os
 
 logging.basicConfig(stream=sys.stderr, level=logging.INFO,
         format="%(asctime)s %(process)d %(levelname)s %(threadName)s %(name)s.%(funcName)s(%(filename)s:%(lineno)d) %(message)s")
@@ -92,7 +93,6 @@ def test_slice(r, my_table):
     assert n == 5
 
 def test_service_registry(r):
-    # import pdb; pdb.set_trace()
     svcreg = rethinkstuff.ServiceRegistry(r)
     assert svcreg.available_service("yes-such-role") == None
     svc0 = {
@@ -114,6 +114,12 @@ def test_service_registry(r):
     assert svc0["host"] == socket.gethostname()
     assert svc1["host"] == socket.gethostname()
 
+    assert "pid" in svc0
+    assert "pid" in svc1
+    assert svc0["pid"] == os.getpid()
+    assert svc1["pid"] == os.getpid()
+    assert "first_heartbeat" in svc0
+    assert "first_heartbeat" in svc1
     assert "last_heartbeat" in svc0
     assert "last_heartbeat" in svc1