diff --git a/basis/compiler/cfg/alias-analysis/alias-analysis.factor b/basis/compiler/cfg/alias-analysis/alias-analysis.factor
index fcfc89ea52..cb8b2de543 100644
--- a/basis/compiler/cfg/alias-analysis/alias-analysis.factor
+++ b/basis/compiler/cfg/alias-analysis/alias-analysis.factor
@@ -190,12 +190,14 @@ M: ##slot-imm insn-slot# slot>> ;
 M: ##set-slot insn-slot# slot>> constant ;
 M: ##set-slot-imm insn-slot# slot>> ;
 M: ##alien-global insn-slot# [ library>> ] [ symbol>> ] bi 2array ;
+M: ##vm-field-ptr insn-slot# fieldname>> 1array ;  ! is this right?
 
 M: ##slot insn-object obj>> resolve ;
 M: ##slot-imm insn-object obj>> resolve ;
 M: ##set-slot insn-object obj>> resolve ;
 M: ##set-slot-imm insn-object obj>> resolve ;
 M: ##alien-global insn-object drop \ ##alien-global ;
+M: ##vm-field-ptr insn-object drop \ ##vm-field-ptr ;
 
 : init-alias-analysis ( insns -- insns' )
     H{ } clone histories set
diff --git a/basis/compiler/cfg/hats/hats.factor b/basis/compiler/cfg/hats/hats.factor
index 469ba37703..1b99b5d4dd 100644
--- a/basis/compiler/cfg/hats/hats.factor
+++ b/basis/compiler/cfg/hats/hats.factor
@@ -57,4 +57,4 @@ insn-classes get [
 : ^^allot-byte-array ( n -- dst ) 2 cells + byte-array ^^allot ; inline
 : ^^offset>slot ( vreg -- vreg' ) cell 4 = [ 1 ^^shr-imm ] [ any-rep ^^copy ] if ; inline
 : ^^tag-fixnum ( src -- dst ) tag-bits get ^^shl-imm ; inline
-: ^^untag-fixnum ( src -- dst ) tag-bits get ^^sar-imm ; inline
\ No newline at end of file
+: ^^untag-fixnum ( src -- dst ) tag-bits get ^^sar-imm ; inline
diff --git a/basis/compiler/cfg/instructions/instructions.factor b/basis/compiler/cfg/instructions/instructions.factor
index 32e5d46c61..7c28198f67 100644
--- a/basis/compiler/cfg/instructions/instructions.factor
+++ b/basis/compiler/cfg/instructions/instructions.factor
@@ -450,6 +450,10 @@ INSN: ##alien-global
 def: dst/int-rep
 literal: symbol library ;
 
+INSN: ##vm-field-ptr
+def: dst/int-rep
+literal: fieldname ;
+
 ! FFI
 INSN: ##alien-invoke
 literal: params stack-frame ;
diff --git a/basis/compiler/cfg/intrinsics/misc/misc.factor b/basis/compiler/cfg/intrinsics/misc/misc.factor
index f9f2182a4e..f9f3488773 100644
--- a/basis/compiler/cfg/intrinsics/misc/misc.factor
+++ b/basis/compiler/cfg/intrinsics/misc/misc.factor
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ IN: compiler.cfg.intrinsics.misc
     ds-pop tag-mask get ^^and-imm ^^tag-fixnum ds-push ;
 
 : emit-getenv ( node -- )
-    "userenv" f ^^alien-global
+    "userenv" ^^vm-field-ptr
     swap node-input-infos first literal>>
     [ ds-drop 0 ^^slot-imm ] [ ds-pop ^^offset>slot 0 ^^slot ] if*
     ds-push ;
diff --git a/basis/compiler/codegen/codegen.factor b/basis/compiler/codegen/codegen.factor
index 0456ff485f..de15cda21c 100755
--- a/basis/compiler/codegen/codegen.factor
+++ b/basis/compiler/codegen/codegen.factor
@@ -270,6 +270,9 @@ M: ##alien-global generate-insn
     [ dst>> ] [ symbol>> ] [ library>> ] tri
     %alien-global ;
 
+M: ##vm-field-ptr generate-insn
+    [ dst>> ] [ fieldname>> ] bi %vm-field-ptr ;
+
 ! ##alien-invoke
 GENERIC: next-fastcall-param ( rep -- )
 
diff --git a/basis/cpu/architecture/architecture.factor b/basis/cpu/architecture/architecture.factor
index da1bcfc61f..b9d07f578e 100644
--- a/basis/cpu/architecture/architecture.factor
+++ b/basis/cpu/architecture/architecture.factor
@@ -202,6 +202,7 @@ HOOK: %set-alien-double    cpu ( ptr value -- )
 HOOK: %set-alien-vector    cpu ( ptr value rep -- )
 
 HOOK: %alien-global cpu ( dst symbol library -- )
+HOOK: %vm-field-ptr cpu ( dst fieldname -- )
 
 HOOK: %allot cpu ( dst size class temp -- )
 HOOK: %write-barrier cpu ( src card# table -- )
diff --git a/basis/cpu/ppc/ppc.factor b/basis/cpu/ppc/ppc.factor
index 37a5369259..fc6a122101 100644
--- a/basis/cpu/ppc/ppc.factor
+++ b/basis/cpu/ppc/ppc.factor
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@ enable-float-intrinsics
     [ drop %load-vm-addr ]
     [ [ dup ] dip vm-field-offset ADDI ] 2bi ;
 
+M: ppc %vm-field-ptr ( dst field -- ) %load-vm-field-addr ;
 
 M: ppc machine-registers
     {
diff --git a/basis/cpu/x86/x86.factor b/basis/cpu/x86/x86.factor
index 7e73275dde..57517ba319 100644
--- a/basis/cpu/x86/x86.factor
+++ b/basis/cpu/x86/x86.factor
@@ -1,6 +1,5 @@
 ! Copyright (C) 2005, 2009 Slava Pestov.
 ! See http://factorcode.org/license.txt for BSD license.
-<<<<<<< HEAD
 USING: accessors assocs alien alien.c-types arrays strings
 cpu.x86.assembler cpu.x86.assembler.private cpu.x86.assembler.operands
 cpu.architecture kernel kernel.private math memory namespaces make
@@ -12,15 +11,7 @@ compiler.cfg.intrinsics
 compiler.cfg.comparisons
 compiler.cfg.stack-frame
 compiler.codegen
-compiler.codegen.fixup ;
-=======
-USING: accessors alien combinators compiler.cfg.comparisons
-compiler.cfg.intrinsics compiler.cfg.registers
-compiler.cfg.stack-frame compiler.codegen.fixup compiler.constants
-cpu.architecture cpu.x86.assembler cpu.x86.assembler.operands fry
-kernel layouts locals make math math.order namespaces sequences system
-vm ;
->>>>>>> Added a vm C-STRUCT, using it for struct offsets in x86 asm
+compiler.codegen.fixup vm ;
 IN: cpu.x86
 
 << enable-fixnum-log2 >>
@@ -564,10 +555,13 @@ M: x86 %shl [ SHL ] emit-shift ;
 M: x86 %shr [ SHR ] emit-shift ;
 M: x86 %sar [ SAR ] emit-shift ;
 
+M: x86 %vm-field-ptr ( dst field -- )
+    [ drop 0 MOV rc-absolute-cell rt-vm rel-fixup ]
+    [ vm-field-offset ADD ] 2bi ;
+
 : load-zone-ptr ( reg -- )
     #! Load pointer to start of zone array
-    [ 0 MOV rc-absolute-cell rt-vm rel-fixup ]
-    [ "nursery" vm-field-offset ADD ] bi ;
+    "nursery" %vm-field-ptr ;
 
 : load-allot-ptr ( nursery-ptr allot-ptr -- )
     [ drop load-zone-ptr ] [ swap cell [+] MOV ] 2bi ;
@@ -587,9 +581,6 @@ M:: x86 %allot ( dst size class nursery-ptr -- )
     dst class store-tagged
     nursery-ptr size inc-allot-ptr ;
 
-: %vm-field-ptr ( reg field -- )
-    [ drop 0 MOV rc-absolute-cell rt-vm rel-fixup ]
-    [ vm-field-offset ADD ] 2bi ;
 
 M:: x86 %write-barrier ( src card# table -- )
     #! Mark the card pointed to by vreg.
@@ -627,7 +618,7 @@ M:: x86 %call-gc ( gc-root-count -- )
     "inline_gc" f %vm-invoke ;
 
 M: x86 %alien-global ( dst symbol library -- )
-    [ 0 MOV ] 2dip rc-absolute-cell rel-dlsym ;
+    [ 0 MOV ] 2dip rc-absolute-cell rel-dlsym ;    
 
 M: x86 %epilogue ( n -- ) cell - incr-stack-reg ;
 
diff --git a/basis/vm/vm.factor b/basis/vm/vm.factor
index 655250d755..e2e7fc879c 100644
--- a/basis/vm/vm.factor
+++ b/basis/vm/vm.factor
@@ -17,6 +17,8 @@ C-STRUCT: vm
     { "zone" "nursery" }
     { "cell" "cards_offset" }
     { "cell" "decks_offset" }
+    { "cell" "__padding__" }
+    { "cell[70]" "userenv" }
     ;
 
 : vm-field-offset ( field -- offset ) "vm" offset-of ;
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/vm/os-macosx.mm b/vm/os-macosx.mm
index 865371b8ac..e4da7b2221 100644
--- a/vm/os-macosx.mm
+++ b/vm/os-macosx.mm
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ NS_DURING
 		NS_VOIDRETURN;
 NS_HANDLER
 		dpush(vm->allot_alien(F,(cell)localException));
-		quot = userenv[COCOA_EXCEPTION_ENV];
+		quot = vm->userenv[COCOA_EXCEPTION_ENV];
 		if(!tagged<object>(quot).type_p(QUOTATION_TYPE))
 		{
 			/* No Cocoa exception handler was registered, so
diff --git a/vm/vm.hpp b/vm/vm.hpp
index e0b598de6f..8372c3f0ba 100644
--- a/vm/vm.hpp
+++ b/vm/vm.hpp
@@ -8,9 +8,13 @@ struct factorvm {
 	zone nursery; /* new objects are allocated here */
 	cell cards_offset;
 	cell decks_offset;
-	cell __padding__ ;   // align to 8byte boundary (for 32bit platforms)
+#ifndef FACTOR_64
+	cell __padding__ ;   // align to 8 byte boundary
+#endif
 	cell userenv[USER_ENV]; /* TAGGED user environment data; see getenv/setenv prims */
-
+#ifndef FACTOR_64
+	cell __padding2__;   // not sure why we need this, bootstrap doesn't work without it
+#endif
 
 	// segments
 	inline cell align_page(cell a);