diff --git a/femto.tal b/femto.tal
index f484a5d..a7d2771 100644
--- a/femto.tal
+++ b/femto.tal
@@ -49,7 +49,6 @@
 ( - search&replace )
 ( - tab support? )
 ( - windows line-ending support (CRLF) )
-
 ( FIXME: )
 ( - stop using bytes for row/col/etc. )
 ( - consider storing absolute cursor instead )
@@ -470,9 +469,9 @@
 
 @draw-statusbar ( -> )
     #0000 ;term/rows LDA2 ;term-move-cursor JSR2
-    ansi ;config/color LDA2 emit emit
-         LIT2 '7 '; emit emit
-         LIT 'm emit ( esc [ 33 ; 7 m )
+    ;emit-color-reverse JSR2
+(    ansi ;config/color LDA2 emit emit
+         LIT2 '7 '; emit emit LIT 'm emit )
     LIT2r 2018
     ;term/cols LDA2 #0000
     &loop GTH2k ,&continue JCN ,&done JMP
@@ -496,10 +495,12 @@
     ;cur-abs-row JSR2 INC2 ;emit-dec2 JSR2
     LIT ') emit
 
-    ansi LIT '0 emit LIT 'm emit
+    ;emit-reset JSR2
+    ( ansi LIT '0 emit LIT 'm emit )
     JMP2r
 
 @draw-linenum ( n* -> )
+    ;emit-reset JSR2
     ansi ;config/color LDA2 emit emit LIT 'm emit
     ;emit-dec2-pad JSR2
     ansi LIT2 'm '0 emit emit JMP2r
@@ -519,31 +520,40 @@
 @emit-red-dollar ( -> )
     ;emit-red JSR2 LIT '$ emit ;emit-reset JMP2
 
+@emit-color-reverse ( -> )
+    ansi ;config/color LDA2 emit emit LIT2 '7 '; emit emit LIT 'm emit JMP2r
+
 @draw-all ( -> )
     ;term-erase-all JSR2
     #0000 #0000 ;term-move-cursor JSR2
     ;buffer/line-offset LDA2 STH2 LIT2r 0001 ( [k line-offset] )
-    ADD2kr STH2r ;draw-linenum JSR2
     ;buffer/offset LDA2
-    ;term/lmargin LDA2 INC2 ,&x STR2
+    &bol
+         ADD2kr STH2r ;draw-linenum JSR2
+         ;term/lmargin LDA2 INC2 ,&x STR2
+( TODO: use this for cursor-line highlighting and long line support )
+(         STH2kr ;cursor/row LDA2 INC2 NEQ2 ,&loop JCN
+         ;emit-color-reverse JSR2 )
     &loop ( offset [k line-offset] )
-    LDAk #00 EQU ,&eof JCN
-    LDAk #0a EQU ,&eol JCN
-    ,&x LDR2 ;term/cols LDA2
+        LDAk #00 EQU ,&eof JCN
+        LDAk #0a EQU ,&eol JCN
+        ,&x LDR2 ;term/cols LDA2
         LTH2k ,&ok JCN
         GTH2 ,&skip JCN
         ;emit-red-dollar JSR2 ,&x LDR2 INC2 ,&x STR2
-    &skip INC2 ,&loop JMP
+    &skip INC2
+          ,&loop JMP
     &ok POP2 POP2
-    LDAk #09 EQU ,&do-tab JCN
-    LDAk emit INC2 ,&x LDR2 INC2 ,&x STR2 ,&loop JMP
-    &do-tab ;emit-tab JSR2 INC2 ;config/tab-width LDA2 ,&x LDR2 ADD2 ,&x STR2 ,&loop JMP
+        LDAk #09 EQU ,&do-tab JCN
+        LDAk emit INC2 ,&x LDR2 INC2 ,&x STR2
+        ,&loop JMP
+    &eol INC2r
+         STH2kr ;term/rows LDA2 GTH2 ,&done JCN
+         cr nl INC2 ,&bol JMP
+    &do-tab ;emit-tab JSR2 INC2
+            ;config/tab-width LDA2 ,&x LDR2 ADD2 ,&x STR2
+            ,&loop JMP
     [ &x $2 ]
-    &eol INC2r STH2kr ;term/rows LDA2 GTH2 ,&done JCN
-         cr nl INC2
-         ADD2kr STH2r ;draw-linenum JSR2
-         ;term/lmargin LDA2 INC2 ,&x STR2
-         ,&loop JMP
     &eof
          ;emit-red JSR2
     &eof-loop
diff --git a/tal.nanorc b/tal.nanorc
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..701ff2a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tal.nanorc
@@ -0,0 +1,44 @@
+# basic syntax for the uxntal assembly language
+#
+# mostly sticks to ANSI colors with a few exceptions
+#
+# comments are known to not handle nesting correctly.
+# it's not possible to express nested comments using
+# just start and end regexes.
+
+# use this syntax for .tal files
+syntax tal ".*\.tal"
+
+# characters to insert when comments requested
+comment "( | )"
+
+# raw values
+color pink "\"[^ ]+"
+color pink "'[^ ]"
+color pink "\<[0-9a-f]{2}{1,2}\>"
+
+# literals
+color bold,green "#[0-9a-f]{2}{1,2}\>"
+
+# absolute addresses
+color bold,yellow "(;&?|\.)\S+"
+color bold,orange ",&?\S+"
+color bold,orange "/\S+"
+
+# relative pads
+color yellow "\$[0-9a-f]{1,4}\>"
+
+# instructions
+color bold,cyan "\<(BRK|LIT|INC|POP|DUP|NIP|SWP|OVR|ROT|EQU|NEQ|GTH|LTH|JMP|JCN|JSR|STH|LDZ|STZ|LDR|STR|LDA|STA|DEI|DEO|ADD|SUB|MUL|DIV|AND|ORA|EOR|SFT)2?k?r?\>"
+
+# label definitions
+color bold,blue "(^|\s)(@|&)\S+"
+
+# macros
+color bold,magenta "%\S+"
+
+# absolute pads
+color yellow "\|[0-9a-f]{2}{1,2}\>"
+
+# comments
+color red start="\(\s" end="\s\)"