diff --git a/sysadmin/cloudwatch.py b/sysadmin/cloudwatch.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..44a9be18
--- /dev/null
+++ b/sysadmin/cloudwatch.py
@@ -0,0 +1,76 @@
+from pprint import pprint
+import boto
+
+# connect up parts of the Amazon infrastructure
+
+ec2 = boto.connect_ec2()
+cw = boto.connect_cloudwatch()
+rds = boto.connect_rds()
+
+def all_instances():
+    reservations = ec2.get_all_instances()
+    instances = [i for r in reservations for i in r.instances]
+    return instances
+
+def all_zones():
+    print ec2.get_all_zones()
+    
+def all_rds():
+    return rds.get_all_dbinstances()
+
+def instance(tag_name):
+    try:
+        return ec2.get_all_instances(filters={'tag:Name' : tag_name})[0].instances[0]
+    except Exception, e:
+        return None
+
+def console_output(instance):
+    """returnn console output of instance"""
+    try:
+        return instance.get_console_output().output
+    except Exception, e:
+        return None
+
+def instance_metrics(instance):
+    """metrics that apply to given instance"""
+    metrics = cw.list_metrics() 
+    my_metrics = []
+    
+    for metric in metrics: 
+        if 'InstanceId' in metric.dimensions:
+            if instance.id in metric.dimensions['InstanceId']:
+                my_metrics.append(metric)
+    
+    return my_metrics
+    
+# how to get average CPU utilization of web1?
+# filter(lambda x: x.name == 'CPUUtilization', m)
+# metric.query(start_time, end_time,'Average', period=6000)
+
+def instance_metric(instance, metric_name):
+    m = instance_metrics(instance)
+    return filter(lambda x: x.name == metric_name, m)
+
+def launch_time(instance):
+    return boto.utils.parse_ts(instance.launch_time)
+    
+def max_cpu(instance):
+    pass
+    
+    
+def stats_for_instances(instances=None):
+    """return basic stats for input instances"""
+    if instances is None:
+        instances = all_instances()
+    stats = []
+    for instance in instances:
+        instance.update()  # to get latest update
+        stats.append((instance.id, instance.key_name, instance.state, instance.ip_address, instance.dns_name))
+    
+    return stats  
+    
+if __name__ == '__main__':
+    pprint (stats_for_instances(all_instances()))
+    web1 = instance('web1')
+    print instance_metrics(web1)
+
diff --git a/sysadmin/loadtest.py b/sysadmin/loadtest.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..c1da2dd3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/sysadmin/loadtest.py
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+import threading
+import datetime
+
+class ThreadClass(threading.Thread):
+  def run(self):
+    now = datetime.datetime.now()
+    print "%s says Hello World at time: %s" % (self.getName(), now)
+
+for i in range(10):
+  t = ThreadClass()
+  t.start()
+      
\ No newline at end of file