diff --git a/SConscript b/SConscript
index 4e1ed6ae2..726ac018a 100644
--- a/SConscript
+++ b/SConscript
@@ -37,10 +37,10 @@ messaging_objects = env.SharedObject([
 messaging = env.Library('messaging', messaging_objects)
 Depends('messaging/impl_zmq.cc', services_h)
 
-env.Program('messaging/bridge', ['messaging/bridge.cc'], LIBS=[messaging, 'zmq', 'rt', 'pthread', common])
+env.Program('messaging/bridge', ['messaging/bridge.cc'], LIBS=[messaging, 'zmq', 'pthread', common])
 Depends('messaging/bridge.cc', services_h)
 
-messaging_python = envCython.Program('messaging/messaging_pyx.so', 'messaging/messaging_pyx.pyx', LIBS=envCython["LIBS"]+[messaging, "zmq", common, 'rt'])
+messaging_python = envCython.Program('messaging/messaging_pyx.so', 'messaging/messaging_pyx.pyx', LIBS=envCython["LIBS"]+[messaging, "zmq", common])
 
 # Build Vision IPC
 vipc_sources = [
diff --git a/messaging/msgq.cc b/messaging/msgq.cc
index 06afeed4f..229af4d4e 100644
--- a/messaging/msgq.cc
+++ b/messaging/msgq.cc
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@
 const char *SEMAPHORE_NAME = "mysemphore";
 
 SharedMemory::SharedMemory(const std::string &name, size_t size) :shm_name(name) {
-  shm_size = size + sizeof(bool);
+  shm_size = sizeof(SharedMemoryHeader) + size;
   std::string full_path = "/dev/shm/";
   const char* prefix = std::getenv("OPENPILOT_PREFIX");
   if (prefix) {
@@ -31,35 +31,26 @@ SharedMemory::SharedMemory(const std::string &name, size_t size) :shm_name(name)
   assert(ret != -1);
   shm_ptr = mmap(0, shm_size, PROT_READ | PROT_WRITE, MAP_SHARED, shm_fd, 0);
   assert(shm_ptr != MAP_FAILED);
-}
 
-SharedMemory::~SharedMemory() {
-  munmap(shm_ptr, shm_size);
-  ::close(shm_fd);
-}
-
-msgq_context::msgq_context() : shm("msgq_poll", sizeof(msgq_context_t)) {
-  // ctx = shm.getObject<msgq_context_t>();
   sem_t *sem = sem_open(SEMAPHORE_NAME, O_CREAT, 0644, 1);
   assert(sem != SEM_FAILED);
   sem_wait(sem);  // Lock semaphore
-  ctx = (msgq_context_t *)shm.shm_ptr;
-  bool *initialized = (bool *)((char*)shm.shm_ptr + shm.shm_size - sizeof(bool));
-  if (!(*initialized)) {
+  header = (SharedMemoryHeader *)shm_ptr;
+  if (!header->initialized) {
     pthread_mutexattr_t mutex_attr;
     pthread_condattr_t cond_attr;
 
     pthread_mutexattr_init(&mutex_attr);
     pthread_mutexattr_setpshared(&mutex_attr, PTHREAD_PROCESS_SHARED);
-    pthread_mutex_init(&(ctx->mutex), &mutex_attr);
+    pthread_mutex_init(&(header->mutex), &mutex_attr);
 
     pthread_condattr_init(&cond_attr);
     pthread_condattr_setpshared(&cond_attr, PTHREAD_PROCESS_SHARED);
-    pthread_cond_init(&(ctx->cond), &cond_attr);
+    pthread_cond_init(&(header->cond), &cond_attr);
 
     pthread_mutexattr_destroy(&mutex_attr);
     pthread_condattr_destroy(&cond_attr);
-    *initialized = true;
+    header->initialized = true;
     printf("not initialized\n");
   } else {
     printf("initialized\n");
@@ -68,6 +59,15 @@ msgq_context::msgq_context() : shm("msgq_poll", sizeof(msgq_context_t)) {
   sem_close(sem);
 }
 
+SharedMemory::~SharedMemory() {
+  munmap(shm_ptr, shm_size);
+  ::close(shm_fd);
+}
+
+msgq_context::msgq_context() : shm("msgq_poll", 0) {
+  ctx = (SharedMemoryHeader *)shm.shm_ptr;
+}
+
 msgq_context msgq_context_;
 
 uint64_t msgq_get_uid(void){
@@ -126,7 +126,7 @@ int msgq_new_queue(msgq_queue_t * q, const char * path, size_t size){
   assert(size < 0xFFFFFFFF); // Buffer must be smaller than 2^32 bytes
   // printf("new queue %s\n", path);
   q->shm = new SharedMemory(path, size + sizeof(msgq_header_t));
-  msgq_header_t *header = (msgq_header_t*)q->shm->shm_ptr;//<msgq_header_t>();
+  msgq_header_t *header = (msgq_header_t*)(q->shm->header + 1);
 
   // Setup pointers to header segment
   q->num_readers = reinterpret_cast<std::atomic<uint64_t>*>(&header->num_readers);
@@ -427,13 +427,10 @@ int msgq_poll(msgq_pollitem_t * items, size_t nitems, int timeout){
   int ms = (timeout == -1) ? 100 : timeout;
   struct timespec ts;
   clock_gettime(CLOCK_REALTIME, &ts);
-  ts.tv_sec += ms / 1000;
-  ts.tv_nsec += (ms % 1000) * 1000000;
+  uint64_t ns = ts.tv_sec * 1000000000ULL + ts.tv_nsec + ms * 1000000;
+  ts.tv_sec = ns / 1000000000ULL;
+  ts.tv_nsec = ms % 1000000000ULL;
 
-  if (ts.tv_nsec >= 1000000000) {
-    ts.tv_sec += 1;
-    ts.tv_nsec -= 1000000000;
-  }
   while (num == 0) {
     pthread_mutex_lock(&(msgq_context_.ctx->mutex));
     pthread_cond_timedwait(&(msgq_context_.ctx->cond), &(msgq_context_.ctx->mutex), &ts);
diff --git a/messaging/msgq.h b/messaging/msgq.h
index bca71e58b..d10bc5f4d 100644
--- a/messaging/msgq.h
+++ b/messaging/msgq.h
@@ -12,17 +12,19 @@
 #define UNPACK64(higher, lower, input) do {uint64_t tmp = input; higher = tmp >> 32; lower = tmp & 0xFFFFFFFF;} while (0)
 #define PACK64(output, higher, lower) output = ((uint64_t)higher << 32) | ((uint64_t)lower & 0xFFFFFFFF)
 
-struct msgq_context_t {
+struct SharedMemoryHeader {
   pthread_mutex_t mutex;
   pthread_cond_t cond;
+  bool initialized;
 };
 
 class SharedMemory {
 public:
   SharedMemory(const std::string &name, size_t size);
   ~SharedMemory();
-   void *shm_ptr;
-    size_t shm_size;
+  void *shm_ptr;
+  size_t shm_size;
+  SharedMemoryHeader *header;
 
 private:
   std::string shm_name;
@@ -33,7 +35,7 @@ class SharedMemory {
 struct msgq_context {
   msgq_context();
   SharedMemory shm;
-  msgq_context_t *ctx;
+  SharedMemoryHeader *ctx;
 };
 
 extern msgq_context msgq_context_;