diff --git a/config/config.go b/config/config.go
index 715068c81..c1d31e044 100644
--- a/config/config.go
+++ b/config/config.go
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ import (
 
 /* Global & initialization */
 
-var AppDir = os.Getenv("HOME") + "/.tendermint"
+var RootDir string
 var Config Config_
 
 func initFlags(printHelp *bool) {
@@ -26,7 +26,11 @@ func initFlags(printHelp *bool) {
 }
 
 func init() {
-	configFile := AppDir + "/config.json"
+	RootDir = os.Getenv("TMROOT")
+	if RootDir == "" {
+		RootDir = os.Getenv("HOME") + "/.tendermint"
+	}
+	configFile := RootDir + "/config.json"
 
 	// try to read configuration. if missing, write default
 	configBytes, err := ioutil.ReadFile(configFile)
@@ -67,7 +71,7 @@ var defaultConfig = Config_{
 	Seed:  "",
 	Db: DbConfig{
 		Type: "level",
-		Dir:  AppDir + "/data",
+		Dir:  RootDir + "/data",
 	},
 	Twilio: TwilioConfig{},
 }
diff --git a/main.go b/main.go
index 526a3c40b..70b77cc09 100644
--- a/main.go
+++ b/main.go
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ func NewNode() *Node {
 		},
 	}
 	sw := p2p.NewSwitch(chDescs)
-	book := p2p.NewAddrBook(config.AppDir + "/addrbook.json")
+	book := p2p.NewAddrBook(config.RootDir + "/addrbook.json")
 	pmgr := p2p.NewPeerManager(sw, book)
 
 	return &Node{
diff --git a/p2p/addrbook.go b/p2p/addrbook.go
index d46c3ec6f..9e9c845c7 100644
--- a/p2p/addrbook.go
+++ b/p2p/addrbook.go
@@ -386,7 +386,8 @@ func (a *AddrBook) getBucket(bucketType byte, bucketIdx int) map[string]*knownAd
 func (a *AddrBook) addToNewBucket(ka *knownAddress, bucketIdx int) bool {
 	// Sanity check
 	if ka.isOld() {
-		panic("Cannot add address already in old bucket to a new bucket")
+		log.Warning("Cannot add address already in old bucket to a new bucket: %v", ka)
+		return false
 	}
 
 	addrStr := ka.Addr.String()
@@ -419,10 +420,12 @@ func (a *AddrBook) addToNewBucket(ka *knownAddress, bucketIdx int) bool {
 func (a *AddrBook) addToOldBucket(ka *knownAddress, bucketIdx int) bool {
 	// Sanity check
 	if ka.isNew() {
-		panic("Cannot add new address to old bucket")
+		log.Warning("Cannot add new address to old bucket: %v", ka)
+		return false
 	}
 	if len(ka.Buckets) != 0 {
-		panic("Cannot add already old address to another old bucket")
+		log.Warning("Cannot add already old address to another old bucket: %v", ka)
+		return false
 	}
 
 	addrStr := ka.Addr.String()
@@ -452,7 +455,8 @@ func (a *AddrBook) addToOldBucket(ka *knownAddress, bucketIdx int) bool {
 
 func (a *AddrBook) removeFromBucket(ka *knownAddress, bucketType byte, bucketIdx int) {
 	if ka.BucketType != bucketType {
-		panic("Bucket type mismatch")
+		log.Warning("Bucket type mismatch: %v", ka)
+		return
 	}
 	bucket := a.getBucket(bucketType, bucketIdx)
 	delete(bucket, ka.Addr.String())
@@ -493,7 +497,8 @@ func (a *AddrBook) pickOldest(bucketType byte, bucketIdx int) *knownAddress {
 
 func (a *AddrBook) addAddress(addr, src *NetAddress) {
 	if !addr.Routable() {
-		panic("Cannot add non-routable address")
+		log.Warning("Cannot add non-routable address %v", addr)
+		return
 	}
 
 	ka := a.addrLookup[addr.String()]
@@ -545,10 +550,12 @@ func (a *AddrBook) expireNew(bucketIdx int) {
 func (a *AddrBook) moveToOld(ka *knownAddress) {
 	// Sanity check
 	if ka.isOld() {
-		panic("Cannot promote address that is already old")
+		log.Warning("Cannot promote address that is already old %v", ka)
+		return
 	}
 	if len(ka.Buckets) == 0 {
-		panic("Cannot promote address that isn't in any new buckets")
+		log.Warning("Cannot promote address that isn't in any new buckets %v", ka)
+		return
 	}
 
 	// Remember one of the buckets in which ka is in.
@@ -725,7 +732,8 @@ func (ka *knownAddress) markGood() {
 func (ka *knownAddress) addBucketRef(bucketIdx int) int {
 	for _, bucket := range ka.Buckets {
 		if bucket == bucketIdx {
-			panic("Bucket already exists in ka.Buckets")
+			log.Warning("Bucket already exists in ka.Buckets: %v", ka)
+			return -1
 		}
 	}
 	ka.Buckets = append(ka.Buckets, bucketIdx)
@@ -740,7 +748,8 @@ func (ka *knownAddress) removeBucketRef(bucketIdx int) int {
 		}
 	}
 	if len(buckets) != len(ka.Buckets)-1 {
-		panic("bucketIdx not found in ka.Buckets")
+		log.Warning("bucketIdx not found in ka.Buckets: %v", ka)
+		return -1
 	}
 	ka.Buckets = buckets
 	return len(ka.Buckets)