diff --git a/src/main/java/net/socialgamer/cah/CahModule.java b/src/main/java/net/socialgamer/cah/CahModule.java
index 511ab03..0f4ea7b 100644
--- a/src/main/java/net/socialgamer/cah/CahModule.java
+++ b/src/main/java/net/socialgamer/cah/CahModule.java
@@ -84,6 +84,8 @@ public class CahModule extends AbstractModule {
 
     bind(Properties.class).toInstance(properties);
 
+    // this is only so injected constructors can log
+    StartupUtils.reconfigureLogging(context);
     // FIXME huge hack.
     StartupUtils.reloadProperties(context, properties);
     final String metricsClassName = properties.getProperty("pyx.metrics.impl");
diff --git a/src/main/java/net/socialgamer/cah/StartupUtils.java b/src/main/java/net/socialgamer/cah/StartupUtils.java
index e547c8c..62fb2cb 100644
--- a/src/main/java/net/socialgamer/cah/StartupUtils.java
+++ b/src/main/java/net/socialgamer/cah/StartupUtils.java
@@ -114,6 +114,7 @@ public class StartupUtils extends GuiceServletContextListener {
   @Override
   public void contextInitialized(final ServletContextEvent contextEvent) {
     final ServletContext context = contextEvent.getServletContext();
+    reconfigureLogging(context);
     final Injector injector = getInjector(context);
 
     final ScheduledThreadPoolExecutor timer = injector
@@ -130,8 +131,9 @@ public class StartupUtils extends GuiceServletContextListener {
     context.setAttribute(INJECTOR, injector);
     context.setAttribute(DATE_NAME, injector.getInstance(Key.get(Date.class, ServerStarted.class)));
 
-    reconfigureLogging(contextEvent.getServletContext());
-    reloadProperties(contextEvent.getServletContext());
+    // this is called in the process of setting up the injector right now... ideally we wouldn't
+    // need to do that there and can just do it here again.
+    // reloadProperties(context);
     CardcastService.hackSslVerifier();
 
     // log that the server (re-)started to metrics logging (to flush all old games and users)