diff --git a/project.properties b/project.properties
index c6373ed..3e06a5c 100644
--- a/project.properties
+++ b/project.properties
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
-#Thu, 22 Nov 2012 14:39:26 -0600
+#Tue, 27 Nov 2012 08:38:33 -0600
 name=jdb-util
-version=1.7
+version=1.8
 lib.local=true
 
-build.number=16
+build.number=2
diff --git a/src/main/com/jdbernard/net/ParameterizedSocket.java b/src/main/com/jdbernard/net/ParameterizedSocket.java
index 9e0d514..8946d00 100644
--- a/src/main/com/jdbernard/net/ParameterizedSocket.java
+++ b/src/main/com/jdbernard/net/ParameterizedSocket.java
@@ -12,6 +12,8 @@ import java.util.ArrayList;
 import java.util.HashMap;
 import java.util.List;
 import java.util.Map;
+import org.slf4j.LoggerFactory;
+import org.slf4j.Logger;
 
 public class ParameterizedSocket {
 
@@ -50,6 +52,7 @@ public class ParameterizedSocket {
     private Socket socket;
     private byte[] buffer;
     private Charset charset;
+    private Logger log = LoggerFactory.getLogger(getClass());
 
     public ParameterizedSocket(Socket socket, int bufferSize) {
         this.socket = socket;
@@ -58,7 +61,8 @@ public class ParameterizedSocket {
 
     public ParameterizedSocket(String ipAddress, int port, int bufferSize)
     throws UnknownHostException, IOException {
-        this(new Socket(ipAddress, port), bufferSize); }
+        this(new Socket(ipAddress, port), bufferSize);
+        log.trace("Opened a socket to {}:{}", ipAddress, port); }
 
     public ParameterizedSocket(Socket socket)
     throws UnknownHostException, IOException { 
@@ -76,6 +80,7 @@ public class ParameterizedSocket {
     public void writeMessage(Message message) throws IOException {
         if (message == null || message.parts.size() == 0) return;
 
+        log.debug("Writing a message: [{}].", message);
         byte[] messageBytes = formatMessage(message);
         socket.getOutputStream().write(messageBytes); }
 
@@ -83,6 +88,8 @@ public class ParameterizedSocket {
         List<String> messageList = new ArrayList<String>();
         Map<String, String> namedParameters = new HashMap<String, String>();
 
+        log.trace("Reading a message.");
+
         if (socket.getInputStream().read() != START_TOKEN_BYTE) {
             byte[] errMsg = formatMessage("ERROR", "Invalid command (expected START_TOKEN).");
             socket.getOutputStream().write(errMsg); }
@@ -135,7 +142,9 @@ public class ParameterizedSocket {
             else namedParameters.put(paramName,
                 new String(buffer, 0, bufIdx, charset)); }
 
-        return new Message(messageList, namedParameters); }
+        Message message = new Message(messageList, namedParameters);
+        log.debug("Message read: [{}].", message);
+        return message; }
 
     protected byte[] formatMessage(String... parts) {
         return formatMessage(new Message(parts)); }
diff --git a/src/main/com/jdbernard/util/LightOptionParser.groovy b/src/main/com/jdbernard/util/LightOptionParser.groovy
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..abbd659
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/main/com/jdbernard/util/LightOptionParser.groovy
@@ -0,0 +1,86 @@
+/**
+ * # Light Option Parser
+ * @author Jonathan Bernard (jdbernard@gmail.com)
+ *
+ * LightOptionParser parses command-line style options.
+ * TODO: complete docs.
+ */
+package com.jdbernard.util
+
+public class LightOptionParser {
+
+    public static def parseOptions(def optionDefinitions, List args) {
+
+        def returnOpts = [:]
+        def foundOpts = [:]
+        def optionArgIndices = []
+
+        /// Find all the options.
+        args.eachWithIndex { arg, idx ->
+            if (arg.startsWith('--')) foundOpts[arg.substring(2)] = [idx: idx]
+            else if (arg.startsWith('-')) foundOpts[arg.substring(1)] = [idx: idx] }
+
+        /// Look for option arguments.
+        foundOpts.each { foundName, optInfo ->
+
+            def retVal
+
+            /// Find the definition for this option.
+            def optDef = optionDefinitions.find {
+                it.key == foundName || it.value.longName == foundName }
+            def optName = optDef.key
+            optDef = optDef.value
+
+            if (!optDef) throw new IllegalArgumentException(
+                "Unrecognized option: '${args[optInfo.idx]}.")
+
+            /// Remember the option index for later.
+            optionArgIndices << optInfo.idx
+
+            /// If there are no arguments, this is a flag.
+            if ((optDef.arguments ?: 0) == 0) retVal = true
+
+            /// Otherwise, read in the arguments
+            if (optDef.arguments && optDef.arguments > 0) {
+
+                /// Not enough arguments left
+                if ((optInfo.idx + optDef.arguments) >= args.size()) {
+                    throw new Exception("Option '${args[optInfo.idx]}' " +
+                        "expects ${optDef.arguments} arguments.") }
+
+                int firstArgIdx = optInfo.idx + 1
+
+                /// Case of only one argument
+                if (optDef.arguments == 1)
+                    retVal = args[firstArgIdx]
+                /// Case of multiple arguments
+                else retVal = args[firstArgIdx..<(firstArgIdx + optDef.arguments)]
+
+                /// Remember all the option argument indices for later.
+                (firstArgIdx..<(firstArgIdx + optDef.arguments)).each {
+                    optionArgIndices << it }}
+
+            /// Store the value in the returnOpts map
+            returnOpts[optName] = retVal
+            if (optDef.longName) returnOpts[optDef.longName] = retVal }
+
+        /// Check that all required options have been found.
+        optionDefinitions.each { optName, optDef ->
+            /// If this is a required field
+            if (optDef.required && 
+               /// and it has not been found, by either it's short or long name.
+               !(returnOpts[optName] ||
+                (optDef.longName && returnOpts[longName]))) 
+                
+                throw new Exception("Missing required option: '-${optName}'.") }
+
+        /// Remove all the option arguments from the args list and return just
+        /// the non-option arguments.
+        optionArgIndices.sort().reverse().each { args.remove(it) }
+
+        //optionArgIndices = optionArgIndices.collect { args[it] }
+        //args.removeAll(optionArgIndices)
+            
+        returnOpts.args = args
+        return returnOpts }
+}
diff --git a/src/main/com/jdbernard/util/NullOutputStream.java b/src/main/com/jdbernard/util/NullOutputStream.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..59f708f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/main/com/jdbernard/util/NullOutputStream.java
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+package com.jdbernard.util;
+
+import java.io.OutputStream;
+
+public class NullOutputStream extends OutputStream {
+
+    public NullOutputStream() {}
+    public void close() { }
+    public void flush() { }
+    public void write(int b) { }
+    public void write(byte[] b) { }
+    public void write(byte[] b, int offset, int length) { }
+}
diff --git a/src/main/com/jdbernard/util/SmartConfig.groovy b/src/main/com/jdbernard/util/SmartConfig.groovy
index 9e8e61e..1f61c14 100644
--- a/src/main/com/jdbernard/util/SmartConfig.groovy
+++ b/src/main/com/jdbernard/util/SmartConfig.groovy
@@ -71,7 +71,7 @@ public class SmartConfig {
                 log.trace("No known interpretation, casting to type of " +
                     "default argument.")
 
-                val = val.asType(defVal.class)
+                val = val.asType(defVal?.class ?: String)
             }
         }