diff --git a/Hash2Pub/test/FediChordSpec.hs b/Hash2Pub/test/FediChordSpec.hs
index 6c59e0c..6396921 100644
--- a/Hash2Pub/test/FediChordSpec.hs
+++ b/Hash2Pub/test/FediChordSpec.hs
@@ -11,6 +11,12 @@ import Hash2Pub.FediChord
 
 spec :: Spec
 spec = do
+    -- define some sensible test data
+    let
+        nodeDomain = "example.social"
+        vs = 4
+        ip = tupleToHostAddress6 (0x2001, 0x16b8, 0x755a, 0xb110, 0x7d6a, 0x12ab, 0xf0c5, 0x386e)
+
     describe "NodeID" $ do
         it "can store a numeral ID" $
             getNodeID (toNodeID 2342) `shouldBe` 2342
@@ -30,10 +36,6 @@ spec = do
         it "throws an exception when @toNodeID@ on out-of-bound values" $
             pending
         it "can be generated" $ do
-            let
-                nodeDomain = "example.social"
-                vs = 4
-                ip = tupleToHostAddress6 (0x2001, 0x16b8, 0x755a, 0xb110, 0x7d6a, 0x12ab, 0xf0c5, 0x386e)
             genNodeIDBS ip nodeDomain vs `shouldBe` "\ACK\211\183&S\GS\214\247Xn8\216\232\195\247\162\182\253\210\SOHG7I\194\251\196\130\142RSx\219"
             genNodeID ip nodeDomain vs `shouldBe` toNodeID 3087945874980469002564169693112490135217795916629034079089428181202645514459
 
@@ -46,8 +48,8 @@ spec = do
         it "can be initialised" $ do
             let ns = NodeState {
                 nid = toNodeID 12
-              , domain = "herebedragons.social"
-              , ipAddr = tupleToHostAddress6 (0x2001, 0x16b8, 0x755a, 0xb110, 0x7d6a, 0x12ab, 0xf0c5, 0x386e)
+              , domain = nodeDomain
+              , ipAddr = ip
               , dhtPort = 2342
               , apPort = Nothing
               , nodeCache = Map.empty
@@ -58,3 +60,22 @@ spec = do
               , pNumParallelQueries = 2
                                }
             print ns
+        it "can be initialised partly and then modified later" $ do
+            let ns = NodeState {
+                nid = undefined
+              , domain = nodeDomain
+              , ipAddr = ip
+              , dhtPort = 2342
+              , apPort = Nothing
+              , nodeCache = Map.empty
+              , successors = []
+              , predecessors = []
+              , kNeighbours = 3
+              , lNumBestNodes = 3
+              , pNumParallelQueries = 2
+                               }
+                nsReady = ns {
+                  nid = genNodeID (ipAddr ns) (domain ns) 3
+                             }
+            print nsReady
+