diff --git a/ansible_mitogen/strategy/mitogen.py b/ansible_mitogen/strategy/mitogen.py
index 7be52f59..8eab8408 100644
--- a/ansible_mitogen/strategy/mitogen.py
+++ b/ansible_mitogen/strategy/mitogen.py
@@ -52,7 +52,6 @@ class ContextProxyService(mitogen.service.Service):
         return isinstance(args, dict)
 
     def dispatch(self, dct, msg):
-        print dct.get('via')
         key = repr(sorted(dct.items()))
         if key not in self._context_by_id:
             method = getattr(self.router, dct.pop('method'))
diff --git a/mitogen/core.py b/mitogen/core.py
index 1ec2bc57..ca796ab2 100644
--- a/mitogen/core.py
+++ b/mitogen/core.py
@@ -318,28 +318,6 @@ class Sender(object):
         )
 
 
-def _queue_interruptible_get(queue, timeout=None, block=True):
-    # bool is subclass of int, cannot use isinstance!
-    assert timeout is None or type(timeout) in (int, long, float)
-    assert isinstance(block, bool)
-
-    if timeout is not None:
-        timeout += time.time()
-
-    msg = None
-    while msg is None and (timeout is None or timeout > time.time()):
-        try:
-            msg = queue.get(block, 0.5)
-        except Queue.Empty:
-            if not block:
-                break
-
-    if msg is None:
-        raise TimeoutError('deadline exceeded.')
-
-    return msg
-
-
 class Receiver(object):
     notify = None
     raise_channelerror = True
@@ -350,6 +328,7 @@ class Receiver(object):
         self.handle = router.add_handler(self._on_receive, handle,
                                          persist, respondent)
         self._queue = Queue.Queue()
+        self._latch = Latch()
 
     def __repr__(self):
         return 'Receiver(%r, %r)' % (self.router, self.handle)
@@ -358,6 +337,7 @@ class Receiver(object):
         """Callback from the Stream; appends data to the internal queue."""
         IOLOG.debug('%r._on_receive(%r)', self, msg)
         self._queue.put(msg)
+        self._latch.wake()
         if self.notify:
             self.notify(self)
 
@@ -369,9 +349,9 @@ class Receiver(object):
 
     def get(self, timeout=None, block=True):
         IOLOG.debug('%r.get(timeout=%r, block=%r)', self, timeout, block)
-
-        msg = _queue_interruptible_get(self._queue, timeout, block=block)
-        IOLOG.debug('%r.get() got %r', self, msg)
+        self._latch.wait(timeout=timeout)
+        msg = self._queue.get()
+        #IOLOG.debug('%r.get() got %r', self, msg)
 
         if msg == _DEAD:
             raise ChannelError(ChannelError.local_msg)
@@ -807,7 +787,44 @@ def _unpickle_context(router, context_id, name):
     return router.context_class(router, context_id, name)
 
 
-class Waker(BasicStream):
+class Latch(object):
+    def __init__(self):
+        rfd, wfd = os.pipe()
+        set_cloexec(rfd)
+        set_cloexec(wfd)
+        self.receive_side = Side(self, rfd)
+        self.transmit_side = Side(self, wfd)
+
+    def close(self):
+        self.receive_side.close()
+        self.transmit_side.close()
+
+    __del__ = close
+
+    def wait(self, timeout=None):
+        while True:
+            rfds, _, _ = select.select([self.receive_side], [], [], timeout)
+            if not rfds:
+                return False
+
+            try:
+                self.receive_side.read(1)
+            except OSError, e:
+                if e[0] == errno.EWOULDBLOCK:
+                    continue
+                raise
+            return False
+
+    def wake(self):
+        IOLOG.debug('%r.wake() [fd=%r]', self, self.transmit_side.fd)
+        try:
+            self.transmit_side.write(' ')
+        except OSError, e:
+            if e[0] != errno.EBADF:
+                raise
+
+
+class Waker(Latch, BasicStream):
     """
     :py:class:`BasicStream` subclass implementing the
     `UNIX self-pipe trick`_. Used internally to wake the IO multiplexer when
@@ -816,35 +833,26 @@ class Waker(BasicStream):
     .. _UNIX self-pipe trick: https://cr.yp.to/docs/selfpipe.html
     """
     def __init__(self, broker):
+        super(Waker, self).__init__()
         self._broker = broker
-        rfd, wfd = os.pipe()
-        set_cloexec(rfd)
-        set_cloexec(wfd)
-        self.receive_side = Side(self, rfd)
-        self.transmit_side = Side(self, wfd)
 
     def __repr__(self):
         return 'Waker(%r)' % (self._broker,)
 
-    def wake(self):
-        """
-        Write a byte to the self-pipe, causing the IO multiplexer to wake up.
-        Nothing is written if the current thread is the IO multiplexer thread.
-        """
-        IOLOG.debug('%r.wake() [fd=%r]', self, self.transmit_side.fd)
-        if threading.currentThread() != self._broker._thread:
-            try:
-                self.transmit_side.write(' ')
-            except OSError, e:
-                if e[0] != errno.EBADF:
-                    raise
-
     def on_receive(self, broker):
         """
         Read a byte from the self-pipe.
         """
         self.receive_side.read(256)
 
+    def wake(self):
+        """
+        Write a byte to the self-pipe, causing the IO multiplexer to wake up.
+        Nothing is written if the current thread is the IO multiplexer thread.
+        """
+        if threading.currentThread() != self._broker._thread:
+            super(Waker, self).wake()
+
 
 class IoLogger(BasicStream):
     """
diff --git a/mitogen/master.py b/mitogen/master.py
index 9d1f33b2..7905ed7d 100644
--- a/mitogen/master.py
+++ b/mitogen/master.py
@@ -127,11 +127,13 @@ class Select(object):
         self._receivers = []
         self._oneshot = oneshot
         self._queue = Queue.Queue()
+        self._latch = mitogen.core.Latch()
         for recv in receivers:
             self.add(recv)
 
     def _put(self, value):
         self._queue.put(value)
+        self._latch.wake()
         if self.notify:
             self.notify(self)
 
@@ -200,7 +202,8 @@ class Select(object):
             raise SelectError(self.empty_msg)
 
         while True:
-            recv = mitogen.core._queue_interruptible_get(self._queue, timeout)
+            self._latch.wait()
+            recv = self._queue.get()
             try:
                 msg = recv.get(block=False)
                 if self._oneshot: