diff --git a/components/flatEditor.js b/components/flatEditor.js
index 2a4f2c4..c8ae57d 100644
--- a/components/flatEditor.js
+++ b/components/flatEditor.js
@@ -264,7 +264,7 @@ function FlatEditor({
         .ready()
         .then(() => {
           if (score.scoreId === 'blank' && orig) {
-            let result = pitchesToRests(JSON.parse(orig));
+            let result = pitchesToRests(JSON.parse(orig)); // TODO: watch out here for the uuid issues
             if (trim) {
               result = trimScore(result, trim);
             }
@@ -293,15 +293,37 @@ function FlatEditor({
               embed.loadJSON(result).then(() => {
                 embed.off('cursorPosition');
                 embed.on('cursorPosition', (ev) => {
+                  // FIXME probably we need to debounce this event. when the paste has succeeded, don't notice that resulting change of cursor and try to do this again.
                   console.log('cursorPos', ev)
                   // selectedMeasure
                   console.log('json.current', json.current)
-                  if (json.current && selectedMeasure && selectedMeasure.current && JSON.stringify(selectedMeasure.current)!== JSON && json.current !== '{}') {
+                  if (json.current && selectedMeasure && selectedMeasure.current && JSON.stringify(selectedMeasure.current)!== '{}' && json.current !== '{}') {
                     console.log('selectedMeasure.current', selectedMeasure.current)
                     const scoreData = JSON.parse(json.current);
                     const correctedSelection = correctMeasure(JSON.parse(JSON.stringify(selectedMeasure.current)));
                     console.log('correctedSelection', correctedSelection)
                     scoreData['score-partwise'].part[0].measure[ev.measureIdx] =  correctedSelection
+                    //FIXME
+                    if (!Object.hasOwn(scoreData['score-partwise'].part[0].measure[ev.measureIdx], 'attributes')) {
+                      console.log('no attributes', scoreData['score-partwise'].part[0].measure[ev.measureIdx])
+                      scoreData['score-partwise'].part[0].measure[ev.measureIdx].attributes = [{}];
+
+                    }
+                    if (!Object.hasOwn(scoreData['score-partwise'].part[0].measure[ev.measureIdx].attributes[0], '$adagio-location')) {
+                      scoreData['score-partwise'].part[0].measure[ev.measureIdx].attributes[0]['$adagio-location'] = {
+                        "timePos": 0,
+                        "dpq": 1
+                      }
+                    }
+                    if (!Object.hasOwn(scoreData['score-partwise'].part[0].measure[ev.measureIdx].attributes[0], '$adagio-time')) {
+                      scoreData['score-partwise'].part[0].measure[ev.measureIdx].attributes[0]['$adagio-time'] = {
+                        "beats": "4",
+                        "beat-type": "4"
+                      }
+                    }
+                    if (Object.hasOwn(scoreData['score-partwise'].part[0].measure[ev.measureIdx], 'barline')) {
+                      delete scoreData['score-partwise'].part[0].measure[ev.measureIdx].barline;
+                    }
                     selectedMeasure.current = {};
                     const toLoad = JSON.stringify(scoreData);
                     console.log('erroneous toLoad', toLoad);
diff --git a/lib/flat.js b/lib/flat.js
index 70624fb..42f084b 100644
--- a/lib/flat.js
+++ b/lib/flat.js
@@ -11,6 +11,8 @@ function colorMap (color) {
 
 
 const pitchesToRests = (pieceScoreJSON) => {
+  // overwrite divisions
+  // ensure that duration and timePos reflect the updated divisions
   const getMeasureTimeSignature = (measure, current) => {
     let duration = 8; // default to 8 because i reasoned it might be a quarter in some cases
     let maxRests = 4; // bc 4 is a common denominator for musicians
@@ -18,6 +20,7 @@ const pitchesToRests = (pieceScoreJSON) => {
     if (measure.attributes) {
       measure.attributes.forEach((attribute) => {
         if (attribute.divisions) {
+          console.log('p2Rests::getMTimeSig:divisions', attribute.divisions)
           duration = attribute.divisions;
           updated = true;
         }
@@ -49,6 +52,9 @@ const pitchesToRests = (pieceScoreJSON) => {
 
   // }
   composeScoreJSON['score-partwise'].part[0].measure.forEach((measure) => {
+    if (measure.attributes && measure.attributes[0].divisions) {
+      measure.attributes[0].divisions = 2;
+    }
     currentTimeSig = getMeasureTimeSignature(measure, currentTimeSig); // FIXME: this overwrites later measures with the default
     if (measure.direction) {
       measure.direction.forEach((directionObj) => {
diff --git a/lib/variations.js b/lib/variations.js
index 64e99ac..68bd3db 100644
--- a/lib/variations.js
+++ b/lib/variations.js
@@ -50,8 +50,11 @@ function correctMeasure(measure) {
   // console.log("origDivisions", alteredMeasure.attributes[0].divisions);
   // console.log("inside correctMeasure measure", JSON.parse(JSON.stringify(alteredMeasure)));
 
+  let modify = false;
   // check if reconstruction necessary
-  let modify = origDivisions != defaultDiv && (alteredMeasure.attributes[0].divisions = defaultDiv);
+  if (Object.hasOwn(alteredMeasure, 'attributes') && Array.isArray(alteredMeasure.attributes) && alteredMeasure.attributes.length > 0) {
+    modify = origDivisions != defaultDiv && (alteredMeasure.attributes[0].divisions = defaultDiv);
+  }
   
   // only modify if necessary
   modify && (alteredMeasure.note.forEach((note) => {
@@ -62,7 +65,7 @@ function correctMeasure(measure) {
   // an explicit property describing whether a beat is a rest makes life easier
   // (idt you can *always* use null in the way you can in a lang like C, so 
   // this is more out of an abundance of caution)
-  alteredMeasure.note.forEach((note) => {
+  alteredMeasure?.note?.forEach((note) => {
     note.isRest = (Boolean) (note.rest ?? false);
   });
   // console.log(`outgoing corrected Measure w/ isRest property`, [...alteredMeasure.note]);