diff --git a/ui/src/components/topology/graph-link.js b/ui/src/components/topology/graph-link.js
index 69c93646..047c6996 100644
--- a/ui/src/components/topology/graph-link.js
+++ b/ui/src/components/topology/graph-link.js
@@ -106,7 +106,7 @@ const GraphLink = ({
   const sourceAngle = getAngleFromPoints(source, target);
   const sourcePosition = getPosition(sourceAngle, positions, source);
   const targetAngle = getAngleFromPoints(target, source);
-  const targetPosition = getPosition(targetAngle, positions, target, true);
+  const targetPosition = getPosition(targetAngle, positions, target); //, true);
   const arrowAngle = getAngleFromPoints(sourcePosition, targetPosition);
 
   return (
diff --git a/ui/src/components/topology/graph-node.js b/ui/src/components/topology/graph-node.js
index 30cd7d80..344a6a00 100644
--- a/ui/src/components/topology/graph-node.js
+++ b/ui/src/components/topology/graph-node.js
@@ -45,7 +45,8 @@ const HeartCircle = styled.circle`
 
 const GraphNode = ({
   data,
-  size
+  size,
+  onDragStart
 }) => {
 
   const {
@@ -79,9 +80,17 @@ const GraphNode = ({
   };
 
   // const titleBbBox = {x:100, y: 30 - halfHeight};
+  const onStart = (evt) => {
+    evt.preventDefault();
+    onDragStart(evt, data.id);
+  };
 
   return (
-    <g transform={`translate(${data.x}, ${data.y})`}>
+    <g
+      transform={`translate(${data.x}, ${data.y})`}
+      onMouseDown={onStart}
+      onTouchStart={onStart}
+    >
       <StyledShadowRect
         x={-halfWidth}
         y={3-halfHeight}
@@ -133,7 +142,8 @@ const GraphNode = ({
 
 GraphNode.propTypes = {
   data: React.PropTypes.object.isRequired,
-  size: PropTypes.Size,
+  onDragStart: React.PropTypes.func,
+  size: PropTypes.Size
 };
 
 module.exports = GraphNode;
diff --git a/ui/src/components/topology/graph-simulation.js b/ui/src/components/topology/graph-simulation.js
index 51c06029..0c1d0f6d 100644
--- a/ui/src/components/topology/graph-simulation.js
+++ b/ui/src/components/topology/graph-simulation.js
@@ -38,37 +38,39 @@ const createSimulation = (
 
   const nodeRadius = rectRadius(nodeSize);
 
-  return d3.forceSimulation(mappedNodes)
-    .force('link', d3.forceLink(mappedLinks).id(d => d.id))
-    .force('collide', d3.forceCollide(nodeRadius))
-    .force('center', d3.forceCenter(width/2, height/2))
-    .on('tick', onTick)
-    .on('end', onEnd);
+  return ({
+    simulation: d3.forceSimulation(mappedNodes)
+      .force('link', d3.forceLink(mappedLinks).id(d => d.id))
+      .force('collide', d3.forceCollide(nodeRadius))
+      .force('center', d3.forceCenter(width/2, height/2))
+      .on('tick', onTick)
+      .on('end', onEnd),
+    nodes: mappedNodes,
+    links: mappedLinks
+  });
 };
 
     // TODO we need to kill the previous simulation
 const updateSimulation = (
   simulation,
-  nodes,
-  links,
   nextNodes,
   nextLinks,
+  simNodes,
+  simLinks,
   nodeSize,
   svgSize,
   onTick,
   onEnd
 ) => {
-  // want to copy all the existing nodes that we still need and freeze them
-  // want to copy all the existing links we still need
-  // if we have any new nodes / links, we should add them
-  // this is going to be messy!!! maybe not so much!!! :D <3
   const mappedNodes = nextNodes.map((nextNode, index) => {
-    const node = nodes.reduce((acc, n, i) =>
-      nextNode.id === n.id ? n : acc ? null : acc);
-    return node ? {
-      id: node.id,
-      fx: node.x,
-      fy: node.y,
+    const simNode = simNodes.reduce((acc, n, i) => {
+      return nextNode.id === n.id ? n : acc;
+    }, null);
+
+    return simNode ? {
+      id: simNode.id,
+      // fx: simNode.x,
+      // fy: simNode.y,
       index: index
     } : {
       id: nextNode.id,
@@ -77,11 +79,12 @@ const updateSimulation = (
   });
 
   const mappedLinks = nextLinks.map((nextLink, index) => {
-    const link = links.reduce((acc, l, i) =>
-      nextLink.source === l.source && nextLink.target === l.target ?
-        l : acc ? null : acc);
-    return link ? {
-      ...link
+    const simLink = simLinks.reduce((acc, l, i) => {
+      return nextLink.source === l.source && nextLink.target === l.target ?
+        l : acc;
+    }, {});
+    return simLink ? {
+      ...simLink
     } : {
       ...nextLink
     };
@@ -94,12 +97,16 @@ const updateSimulation = (
 
   const nodeRadius = rectRadius(nodeSize);
 
-  return d3.forceSimulation(mappedNodes)
-    .force('link', d3.forceLink(mappedLinks).id(d => d.id))
-    .force('collide', d3.forceCollide(nodeRadius))
-    .force('center', d3.forceCenter(width/2, height/2))
-    .on('tick', onTick)
-    .on('end', onEnd);
+  return ({
+    simulation: d3.forceSimulation(mappedNodes)
+      .force('link', d3.forceLink(mappedLinks).id(d => d.id))
+      .force('collide', d3.forceCollide(nodeRadius))
+      .force('center', d3.forceCenter(width/2, height/2))
+      .on('tick', onTick)
+      .on('end', onEnd),
+    nodes: mappedNodes,
+    links: mappedLinks
+  });
 };
 
 module.exports = {
diff --git a/ui/src/components/topology/topology-graph.js b/ui/src/components/topology/topology-graph.js
index 8387ccbe..6accc436 100644
--- a/ui/src/components/topology/topology-graph.js
+++ b/ui/src/components/topology/topology-graph.js
@@ -29,6 +29,12 @@ const svgSize = {
   height: 860
 };
 
+let dragInfo = {
+  dragging: false,
+  nodeId: null,
+  position: null
+};
+
 class TopologyGraph extends React.Component {
 
   componentWillMount() {
@@ -38,15 +44,17 @@ class TopologyGraph extends React.Component {
       links
     } = this.props.data;
 
-    const simulation = createSimulation(
+    const simulationData = createSimulation(
       nodes,
       links,
       nodeSize,
-      svgSize,
-      () => this.forceUpdate(),
-      () => this.forceUpdate()
+      svgSize//,
+      //() => this.forceUpdate(),
+      //() => this.forceUpdate()
     );
 
+    const simulation = simulationData.simulation;
+
     const n = Math.ceil(
       Math.log(
         simulation.alphaMin()) / Math.log(
@@ -55,9 +63,7 @@ class TopologyGraph extends React.Component {
       simulation.tick();
     }
 
-    this.setState({
-      simulation: simulation
-    });
+    this.setState(simulationData);
   }
 
   componentWillReceiveProps(nextProps) {
@@ -68,33 +74,34 @@ class TopologyGraph extends React.Component {
     //  otherwise, redo them bitches = by what I mean to update the simulation
     //  try freezing exisiting ones... then adding another
 
+    const {
+      nodes: simNodes,
+      links: simLinks
+    } = this.state;
+
     const {
       nodes: nextNodes,
       links: nextLinks
     } = nextProps.data;
 
-    const {
-      nodes,
-      links
-    } = this.props.data;
-
     // this is tmp for the compare above
-    if(nextNodes.length !== nodes.length || nextLinks.length !== links.length) {
+    if(nextNodes.length !== simNodes.length ||
+      nextLinks.length !== simLinks.length) {
       const simulation = this.state.simulation;
-      const nextSimulation = updateSimulation(
+      const nextSimulationData = updateSimulation(
         simulation,
-        nodes,
-        links,
         nextNodes,
         nextLinks,
+        simNodes,
+        simLinks,
         nodeSize,
         svgSize,
         () => this.forceUpdate(),
         () => this.forceUpdate()
       );
-      this.setState({
-        simulation: nextSimulation
-      });
+
+      const nextSimulation = nextSimulationData.simulation;
+      // console.log('nextSimulationData.nodes = ', nextSimulationData.nodes);
 
       const n = Math.ceil(
         Math.log(
@@ -103,6 +110,13 @@ class TopologyGraph extends React.Component {
       for (var i = 0; i < n; ++i) {
         nextSimulation.tick();
       }
+
+      /*this.state.simulation.nodes().forEach((node, index) => {
+        delete node.fx;
+        delete node.fy;
+      });*/
+
+      this.setState(nextSimulationData);
     }
   }
 
@@ -113,27 +127,81 @@ class TopologyGraph extends React.Component {
       links
     } = this.props.data;
 
-    const simulationNodes = this.state.simulation.nodes();
+    const simulationNodes = this.state.nodes;
+
+    const simulationNode = (nodeId) =>
+      simulationNodes.reduce((acc, simNode, index) => {
+        return simNode.id === nodeId ? simNode : acc;
+      }, {});
 
     const nodesData = nodes.map((node, index) => ({
       ...node,
-      ...simulationNodes.reduce((acc, simNode, index) =>
-        simNode.id === node.id ? simNode : acc)
+      ...simulationNode(node.id)
     }));
 
     const linksData = links.map((link, index) => ({
-      source: simulationNodes.reduce((acc, simNode, index) =>
-        simNode.id === link.source ? simNode : acc),
-      target: simulationNodes.reduce((acc, simNode, index) =>
-        simNode.id === link.target ? simNode : acc)
+      source: simulationNode(link.source),
+      target: simulationNode(link.target)
     }));
 
+    const onDragStart = (evt, nodeId) => {
+      // it's this node's position that we'll need to update
+      dragInfo.dragging = true;
+      dragInfo.nodeId = nodeId;
+      dragInfo.position = {
+        x: evt.clientX,
+        y: evt.clientY
+      };
+    };
+
+    const onDragMove = (evt) => {
+
+      if(dragInfo.dragging) {
+
+        const offset = {
+          x: evt.clientX - dragInfo.position.x,
+          y: evt.clientY - dragInfo.position.y
+        };
+
+        const dragNodes = simulationNodes.map((simNode, index) => {
+          if(simNode.id === dragInfo.nodeId) {
+            return ({
+              ...simNode,
+              x: simNode.x + offset.x,
+              y: simNode.y + offset.y,
+            });
+          }
+          return ({
+            ...simNode
+          });
+        });
+
+        this.setState({
+          nodes: dragNodes
+        });
+
+        dragInfo.position = {
+          x: evt.clientX,
+          y: evt.clientY
+        };
+      }
+    };
+
+    const onDragEnd = (evt) => {
+      dragInfo = {
+        dragging: false,
+        nodeId: null,
+        position: null
+      };
+    };
+
     const renderedNodes = nodesData.map((n, index) => (
       <GraphNode
         key={index}
         data={n}
         index={index}
         size={nodeSize}
+        onDragStart={onDragStart}
       />
     ));
 
@@ -147,7 +215,13 @@ class TopologyGraph extends React.Component {
     ));
 
     return (
-      <StyledSvg>
+      <StyledSvg
+        onMouseMove={onDragMove}
+        onTouchMove={onDragMove}
+        onMouseUp={onDragEnd}
+        onTouchEnd={onDragEnd}
+        onTouchCancel={onDragEnd}
+      >
         <g>
           {renderedNodes}
         </g>