diff --git a/18/main.go b/18/main.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e5e9054
--- /dev/null
+++ b/18/main.go
@@ -0,0 +1,182 @@
+package main
+
+import (
+	"bufio"
+	"fmt"
+	"os"
+	"strings"
+	"time"
+)
+
+func main() {
+	start := time.Now()
+	partOne()
+	duration := time.Since(start)
+	partTwo()
+	duration2 := time.Since(start)
+	fmt.Printf("p1: %s, p2: %s\n", duration, duration2-duration)
+}
+
+// an expression is a list of expressions and a list of operators that intersperse those expressions, OR a number.
+// as a sanity check, the length of the body list should always be one more than operators, unless both are 0,
+// in which case number must be set. Luckily, we don't have to worry about 0 (the "empty" state for numbers).
+type expression struct {
+	body      []expression
+	operators []op
+	number    int
+}
+
+// op can be one of two things.
+type op struct {
+	plus     bool
+	multiply bool
+}
+
+// 1 + 2 should parse to
+// expression{
+// 		body:[
+// 			expression{number: 1},
+// 			expression{number: 2},
+// 		],
+// 		operators:[
+// 			op{plus: true},
+// 		],
+// }
+
+// (2 * 2) + 2 should parse to:
+// expression{
+// 		body:[
+// 			expression{
+// 				body: [
+// 					expression{number: 2},
+// 					expression{number: 2},
+// 				],
+// 				operators: [
+// 					op{multiply: true},
+// 				],
+// 			},
+// 			expression{number: 2},
+// 		],
+// 		operators:[
+// 			op{plus:true}
+// 		]
+// }
+
+func parseExpression(e expression, s string) (expression, string) {
+	for i := 0; i < len(s); {
+		switch s[i] {
+		case '(':
+			sub, remainder := parseExpression(expression{}, s[i+1:])
+			e.body = append(e.body, sub)
+			i = len(s) - len(remainder) + 1 // skip everything we just parsed in the subexpression
+		case ')':
+			return e, s[i:]
+		case '*':
+			e.operators = append(e.operators, op{multiply: true})
+			i = i + 1
+		case '+':
+			e.operators = append(e.operators, op{plus: true})
+			i = i + 1
+		case ' ':
+			i = i + 1
+		case '1', '2', '3', '4', '5', '6', '7', '8', '9':
+			// luckily, it's all single-digit numbers and I don't need to track parser state
+			// an ASCII byte number minus the rune value of 0 equals the integer itself: '1' - '0' == 49 - 48;
+			// rune math returns a platform-specific int, so cast to generic int.
+			e.body = append(e.body, expression{number: int(s[i] - '0')})
+			i = i + 1
+		}
+	}
+	return e, ""
+}
+
+func printExpression(e expression) string {
+	result := ""
+	for i := 0; i < len(e.body); i = i + 1 {
+		if e.body[i].number != 0 {
+			result = result + fmt.Sprintf("%d ", e.body[i].number)
+		} else {
+			result = result + "(" + printExpression(e.body[i]) + ") "
+		}
+		if i < len(e.operators) {
+			if e.operators[i].multiply {
+				result = result + "* "
+			} else if e.operators[i].plus {
+				result = result + "+ "
+			}
+		}
+	}
+	return strings.TrimSpace(result)
+}
+
+// evaluation starts at the root, checks the list of operators,
+// then descends into the expressions as precedence demands apply operators to expressions.
+
+func evalLeftToRight(e expression) int {
+	var result int
+	if e.number != 0 {
+		result = e.number
+	} else {
+		result = evalLeftToRight(e.body[0])
+	}
+	for i := 0; i < len(e.operators); i = i + 1 {
+		if e.operators[i].multiply {
+			result = result * evalLeftToRight(e.body[i+1])
+		}
+		if e.operators[i].plus {
+			result = result + evalLeftToRight(e.body[i+1])
+		}
+	}
+	return result
+}
+
+// previous approach might not work...
+func evalPlusThenMultiplication(e expression) int {
+	var result int
+	if e.number != 0 {
+		result = e.number
+	} else {
+		result = evalPlusThenMultiplication(e.body[0])
+	}
+	for i := 0; i < len(e.operators); i = i + 1 {
+		if e.operators[i].multiply {
+			result = result * evalPlusThenMultiplication(e.body[i+1])
+		}
+		if e.operators[i].plus {
+			result = result + evalPlusThenMultiplication(e.body[i+1])
+		}
+	}
+	return result
+}
+
+func partOne() {
+	f, _ := os.Open("input")
+	reader := bufio.NewReader(f)
+	scanner := bufio.NewScanner(reader)
+
+	total := 0
+
+	for scanner.Scan() {
+		line := scanner.Text()
+		e, _ := parseExpression(expression{}, line)
+		total = total + evalLeftToRight(e)
+	}
+
+	fmt.Println(total)
+}
+
+func partTwo() {
+	f, _ := os.Open("testinput")
+	reader := bufio.NewReader(f)
+	scanner := bufio.NewScanner(reader)
+
+	total := 0
+
+	for scanner.Scan() {
+		line := scanner.Text()
+		e, _ := parseExpression(expression{}, line)
+		fmt.Println(printExpression(e), "=", evalPlusThenMultiplication(e))
+	}
+
+	fmt.Println(total)
+}