diff --git a/hugvey/central_command.py b/hugvey/central_command.py
index 2f27175..5859630 100644
--- a/hugvey/central_command.py
+++ b/hugvey/central_command.py
@@ -536,7 +536,8 @@ class HugveyState(object):
                 # detect missing heartbeat:
                 if  self.isConfigured and time.time() - self.isConfigured > 15:
                     self.logger.error("Hugvey did not send heartbeat.")
-                    self.gone()
+#                     self.gone()
+                    self.shutdown()
                 continue
             
             self.logger.debug("Received: {}".format(event))
@@ -762,4 +763,4 @@ class HugveyState(object):
                 self.logger.critical(f"stream has left the building from {self.ip}")
                 self.eventLogger.critical(f"error: stream has left the building from {self.ip}")
                 # if we end up here, the streamer finished, probably meaning hte hugvey shutdown
-                self.gone()
+#                 self.gone()
diff --git a/hugvey/speech/google.py b/hugvey/speech/google.py
index f5a006e..007537d 100644
--- a/hugvey/speech/google.py
+++ b/hugvey/speech/google.py
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ import queue
 import uuid
 from hugvey.communication import LOG_BS
 import audioop
+import gc
 
 mainLogger = logging.getLogger("hugvey")
 logger = mainLogger.getChild("google")
@@ -181,6 +182,10 @@ class GoogleVoiceClient(object):
                     self.hugvey.queueEvent(msg)
         self.logger.warn("Stop google run()") # finish means wrapping of hugvey#3v thread
         
+#         time.sleep(1)
+#         for i in gc.get_referrers(self):
+#             print(i)
+        
             
     def receive(self, chunk):
         if not self.task.isAlive():
diff --git a/hugvey/story.py b/hugvey/story.py
index 0c269ab..5cf53d4 100644
--- a/hugvey/story.py
+++ b/hugvey/story.py
@@ -1418,10 +1418,15 @@ class Story(object):
         fn = await message.getAudioFilePath()
         
         # get duration of audio file, so the client can detect a hang of 'play'
-        with wave.open(fn,'r') as fp:
-            frames = fp.getnframes()
-            rate = fp.getframerate()
-            duration = frames/float(rate)
+        try:
+            with wave.open(fn,'r') as fp:
+                frames = fp.getnframes()
+                rate = fp.getframerate()
+                duration = frames/float(rate)
+        except Exception as e:
+            self.hugvey.eventLogger.critical(f"error: crash when reading wave file: {fn}")
+            self.logger.critical(f"error: crash when reading wave file: {fn}")
+            duration = 10 # some default duration to have something to fall back to
             
 #         self.hugvey.google.pause() # pause STT to avoid text events while decision is made
         self.hugvey.sendCommand({