diff --git a/irc.py b/irc.py
index 2e751a3..6e52ba1 100644
--- a/irc.py
+++ b/irc.py
@@ -336,12 +336,12 @@ class PesterIRC(QtCore.QThread):
 
 class PesterHandler(DefaultCommandHandler):
     def notice(self, nick, chan, msg):
-        try:
-            msg = msg.decode('utf-8')
-        except UnicodeDecodeError:
-            msg = msg.decode('iso-8859-1', 'ignore')
-        nick = nick.decode('utf-8')
-        chan = chan.decode('utf-8')
+        #try:
+        #    msg = msg.decode('utf-8')
+        #except UnicodeDecodeError:
+        #    msg = msg.decode('iso-8859-1', 'ignore')
+        #nick = nick.decode('utf-8')
+        #chan = chan.decode('utf-8')
         handle = nick[0:nick.find("!")]
         logging.info("---> recv \"NOTICE %s :%s\"" % (handle, msg))
         if handle == "ChanServ" and chan == self.parent.mainwindow.profile().handle and msg[0:2] == "[#":
@@ -349,10 +349,10 @@ class PesterHandler(DefaultCommandHandler):
         else:
             self.parent.noticeReceived.emit(handle, msg)
     def privmsg(self, nick, chan, msg):
-        try:
-            msg = msg.decode('utf-8')
-        except UnicodeDecodeError:
-            msg = msg.decode('iso-8859-1', 'ignore')
+        #try:
+        #    msg = msg.decode('utf-8')
+        #except UnicodeDecodeError:
+        #    msg = msg.decode('iso-8859-1', 'ignore')
         # display msg, do other stuff
         if len(msg) == 0:
             return
@@ -460,9 +460,10 @@ class PesterHandler(DefaultCommandHandler):
                 self.parent.mainwindow.randhandler.setRunning(True)
             self.parent.moodUpdated.emit(handle, Mood("chummy"))
     def mode(self, op, channel, mode, *handles):
-        channel = channel.decode('utf-8')
+        #channel = channel.decode('utf-8')
         if len(handles) <= 0: handles = [""]
-        opnick = op.decode('utf-8')[0:op.decode('utf-8').find("!")]
+        #opnick = op.decode('utf-8')[0:op.decode('utf-8').find("!")]
+        opnick = op[0:op.find("!")]
         if op == channel or channel == self.parent.mainwindow.profile().handle:
             modes = list(self.parent.mainwindow.modes)
             if modes and modes[0] == "+": modes = modes[1:]
diff --git a/memos.py b/memos.py
index 9b6e69d..0bda6b3 100644
--- a/memos.py
+++ b/memos.py
@@ -548,7 +548,7 @@ class PesterMemo(PesterConvo):
     def updateColor(self, handle, color):
         chums = self.userlist.findItems(handle, QtCore.Qt.MatchFlags(0))
         for c in chums:
-            c.setTextColor(color)
+            c.setForeground(0, QtGui.QBrush(color))
     def addMessage(self, text, handle):
         if type(handle) is bool:
             chum = self.mainwindow.profile()
@@ -669,7 +669,7 @@ class PesterMemo(PesterConvo):
         else:
             color = chumdb.getColor(handle, defaultcolor)
         item.box = (handle == "evacipatedBox")
-        item.setTextColor(color)
+        item.setForeground(QtGui.QBrush(color))
         item.founder = founder
         item.op = op
         item.halfop = halfop
diff --git a/menus.py b/menus.py
index a6e3ae9..225c6f9 100644
--- a/menus.py
+++ b/menus.py
@@ -1545,7 +1545,7 @@ class PesterUserlist(QtWidgets.QDialog):
         for n in names:
             if str(self.searchbox.text()) == "" or n.lower().find(str(self.searchbox.text()).lower()) != -1:
                 item = QtWidgets.QListWidgetItem(n)
-                item.setTextColor(QtGui.QColor(self.theme["main/chums/userlistcolor"]))
+                item.setForeground(0, QtGui.QBrush(QtGui.QColor(self.theme["main/chums/userlistcolor"])))
                 self.userarea.addItem(item)
         self.userarea.sortItems()
     @QtCore.pyqtSlot(QString, QString, QString)
@@ -1561,7 +1561,7 @@ class PesterUserlist(QtWidgets.QDialog):
                 self.addUser(h)
     def addUser(self, name):
         item = QtWidgets.QListWidgetItem(name)
-        item.setTextColor(QtGui.QColor(self.theme["main/chums/userlistcolor"]))
+        item.setForeground(0, QtGui.QBrush(QtGui.QColor(self.theme["main/chums/userlistcolor"])))
         self.userarea.addItem(item)
         self.userarea.sortItems()
     def delUser(self, name):
@@ -1575,7 +1575,7 @@ class PesterUserlist(QtWidgets.QDialog):
         self.userarea.setStyleSheet(theme["main/chums/style"])
         self.addChumAction.setText(theme["main/menus/rclickchumlist/addchum"])
         for item in [self.userarea.item(i) for i in range(0, self.userarea.count())]:
-            item.setTextColor(QtGui.QColor(theme["main/chums/userlistcolor"]))
+            item.setForeground(0, QtGui.QBrush(QtGui.QColor(theme["main/chums/userlistcolor"])))
 
     @QtCore.pyqtSlot()
     def addChumSlot(self):
@@ -1625,7 +1625,7 @@ class PesterMemoList(QtWidgets.QDialog):
         self.channelarea.setColumnWidth(1,10)
         self.channelarea.setSortingEnabled(True)
         self.channelarea.sortByColumn(0, QtCore.Qt.AscendingOrder)
-        self.channelarea.itemDoubleClicked[QTreeWidgetItem, int].connect(self.AcceptSelection)
+        self.channelarea.itemDoubleClicked[QtWidgets.QTreeWidgetItem, int].connect(self.AcceptSelection)
 
         self.orjoinlabel = QtWidgets.QLabel("OR MAKE A NEW MEMO:")
         self.newmemo = QtWidgets.QLineEdit(channel, self)
@@ -1678,8 +1678,8 @@ class PesterMemoList(QtWidgets.QDialog):
     def updateChannels(self, channels):
         for c in channels:
             item = MemoListItem(c[0][1:],c[1])
-            item.setTextColor(0, QtGui.QColor(self.theme["main/chums/userlistcolor"]))
-            item.setTextColor(1, QtGui.QColor(self.theme["main/chums/userlistcolor"]))
+            item.setForeground(0, QtGui.QBrush(QtGui.QColor(self.theme["main/chums/userlistcolor"])))
+            item.setForeground(1, QtGui.QBrush(QtGui.QColor(self.theme["main/chums/userlistcolor"])))
             item.setIcon(0, QtGui.QIcon(self.theme["memos/memoicon"]))
             self.channelarea.addTopLevelItem(item)
 
@@ -1687,7 +1687,7 @@ class PesterMemoList(QtWidgets.QDialog):
         self.theme = theme
         self.setStyleSheet(theme["main/defaultwindow/style"])
         for item in [self.userarea.item(i) for i in range(0, self.channelarea.count())]:
-            item.setTextColor(QtGui.QColor(theme["main/chums/userlistcolor"]))
+            item.setForeground(0, QtGui.QBrush(QtGui.QColor(theme["main/chums/userlistcolor"])))
             item.setIcon(QtGui.QIcon(theme["memos/memoicon"]))
 
     @QtCore.pyqtSlot()