diff --git a/sandbox/compiler.md b/sandbox/compiler.md
index 7d09266..568d287 100644
--- a/sandbox/compiler.md
+++ b/sandbox/compiler.md
@@ -1,40 +1,78 @@
-I need to figure out how the compiler-time vs run-time execution is going to
-work, and how I'm going to differentiate between the two in the language.
+# Types
 
-main := MainFunc()
-foo := main.Int(1)
+## Axioms
 
-incrFunc := main.NewFunction(inType, outType)
-in := incrFunc.In()
-add := incrFunc.Var("add") // should be macro?
-out := incrFunc.Call(add, incrFunc.Int(1), in)
-incrFunc.Return(out) // ugly
+The syntax described only applies within this document.
 
-main.Return(main.Call(incrFunc, foo))
+- All defined things below are values, all values have a type, all types have a
+  definition which is itself a value.
 
-compiler := NewCompiler()
-compiler.Enter(main)
+- A type definition is displayed as a value wrapped in angle brackets, like
+  `<int>`.
 
-////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+- A type definition with no value, `<>`, is the empty type
 
-type val { type, llvmVal }
+- A type definition may have more than one type, as in `<int,string>`, to
+  indicate that a value with that type is actually a combination of each
+  type in sequence (i.e. a tuple)
 
-type func { type, llvmVal }
+    - Tuples can be wrapped in parenthesis to indicate sub-groupings. I.e.
+      `<string,(int,int)>` is a tuple of 2 sub-types, the first being a
+      `<string>` and the second being a tuple of 2 `<ints>`.
 
-////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+- Any type definition can be used in place of `<any>`.
 
-MACRO DISPATCHER as the thing which has a set of exposed methods. defmacro like
-thing can be built on top of it.
+- `1` is an example of a value of type `<int>`.
 
-TYPED HEAP. Kind of like a typed map mixed with a set. Maybe looks like
+- The type of value `<int>` is `<typedef,int>`.
+- 
+- Any `lowercaseAlphaNumeric` string is an atom value, of type `<atom>`.
+
+- `V<someType>` is a placeholder for a value of type `<someType>`. It is used
+  when matching a pattern.
+
+- `(declareType, V<any>)` is understood to declare a type definition. A type
+  definition can then be used as `<typedef>`.
+
+- `(declareFunction, V<atom>, <any>, <any>)` is a tuple understood to declare a
+  function, named after the atom, where the type definitions of the input and
+  output are also given.
+
+## Type declarations.
 
 ```
-h := make(heap[float64], 10)
-id := h.add(8.5)
-eightPointFive := h.get(id)
-h.del(id)
-```
+(declareType, atom)
+(declareType, bool)
+(declareType, int)
 
-Since the heap is a known size and each element in it is as well it can be
-statically allocated at one spot in the stack and the pointer to it passed
-farther into the stack as needed.
+// general purpose functions for working with all types.
+(declareFunction, concat, <any, any>,  <any>)
+(declareFunction, slice, <any,int,int>, <any>)
+(declareFunction, len, <any>, <int>)
+(declareFunction, eq, <any,any>, <bool>)
+
+// functions for working with integers
+(declareFunction, plus, <int,int>, <int>)
+(declareFunction, mult, <int,int>, <int>)
+(declareFunction, minus, <int,int>, <int>)
+// these two may return false if divide by zero
+(declareFunction, div, <int,int>, <int,bool>)
+(declareFunction, mod, <int,int>, <int,bool>)
+
+// a general iterator
+(declareType, (iter,any))
+(declareFunction, next, <iter,any>, <(iter,any),any,bool>)
+
+// TODO structurally, what's the difference between `<int,int>` and
+// `<iter,any>`? the latter's first element isn't a valid typedef on its own,
+// but other than that there seems to be no difference?
+
+//(declareCompound, graph, T)
+//(declareFunction, addEdge, (tup,(graph,T),T,T), (tup,graph,T))
+//(declareFunction, rmEdge, (tup,(graph,T),T,T), (tup,graph,T))
+//// the order of elements returned by parents/children is the same as the order
+//// the edges between the nodes were added.
+//(declareFunction, parents, (tup,(graph,T),T), (tup,(iter,T)))
+//(declareFunction, children, (tup,(graph,T),T), (tup,(iter,T)))
+//(declareFunction, has, (tup,(graph,T),T), bool)
+//```