diff --git a/pointlights.ino b/pointlights.ino
index e2dcf85..8be9a71 100644
--- a/pointlights.ino
+++ b/pointlights.ino
@@ -33,9 +33,8 @@ void compose() {
   case INCREASE:
     brightness = increase_brightness(brightness, 1);
 
-    Serial.print("INCREASING  ");
-    Serial.println(brightness);
-    
+    plot("INCREASING", brightness);
+        
     if (brightness > 250){
       ledState = WAVE;
       }
@@ -43,36 +42,30 @@ void compose() {
    
   case DECREASE:
     brightness = decrease_brightness(brightness, 0.5);
-    
-    Serial.print("DECREASING  ");
-    Serial.println(brightness);
+    plot("DECREASING", brightness);
       if (brightness == 0){
       ledState = OFF;
       }
      break;
 
   case WAVE:
-    Serial.print("WAVE  ");
-    Serial.println(brightness);
+    plot("WAVE", brightness);
     doForMs(5000, wavyshine); // this you might want to do for number of pulses, rather than for duration
     ledState = DECREASE;
     break;
     
   case STAY:
-    Serial.print("STAY"  );
-    Serial.println(brightness);
+    plot("STAY", brightness);
     brightness = brightness;
     break;
 
   case ON:
-    Serial.print("ON"  );
-    Serial.println(brightness);
+    plot("ON", brightness);
     brightness = 255;
     break;
 
   case OFF:
-    Serial.print("OFF"  );
-    Serial.println(brightness);
+    plot("OFF", brightness);
     brightness = 0;
     doAfterMs(5000, goBackOn);
     break;
@@ -86,12 +79,20 @@ void goBackOn(){
   }
 
 void wavyshine(){
-  Serial.print("WAVE  ");
-  Serial.println(brightness);
+  plot("WAVE", brightness);
   brightness = sinewave(1000,256,0); // you can tweak the parameters of the sinewave
   analogWrite(ledPin, brightness);
   }
 
+void plot(char *state, int brightness){
+  // use this function to plot a graph.
+  // it will normalize the auto-scaling plotter 
+  Serial.print(state);
+  Serial.print(", ");
+  Serial.print(brightness);
+  Serial.println(", 0, 300");
+  }
+
 int increase_brightness (int brightness, float velocity){
    return brightness = brightness + 1 * velocity;
   }