diff --git a/main.go b/main.go
index 964bcdb..225886d 100644
--- a/main.go
+++ b/main.go
@@ -34,22 +34,6 @@ func formula(p float64) int64 {
 	return int64(yearsAgo * 31556926)
 }
 
-func limits(t int64, after bool, before bool) (int64, int64, error) {
-	llimit := int64(math.MinInt64)
-	ulimit := int64(math.MaxInt64)
-	var err error
-
-	if after && before {
-		err = errors.New("after and before can't both be true")
-	} else if after {
-		llimit = t
-	} else if before {
-		ulimit = t
-	}
-
-	return llimit, ulimit, err
-}
-
 func (db *TimelineDB) closestEvents(t int64, n int, llimit int64, ulimit int64) ([]EventsRow, error) {
 	query := `
 	select description, timestamp, yearknown, monthknown, dayknown, hourknown, minuteknown, secondknown
@@ -116,10 +100,6 @@ func main() {
 	before := flag.Bool("b", false, "only return events occurring before computed timestamp")
 	flag.Parse()
 
-	if *after && *before {
-		log.Fatal("cannot pass both -a and -b")
-	}
-
 	if *percent < 0 || *percent > 1 {
 		log.Fatal("invalid percentage")
 	} else if *nevents < 0 {
@@ -128,6 +108,16 @@ func main() {
 
 	t := time.Now().Unix() - formula(*percent)
 
+	llimit := int64(math.MinInt64)
+	ulimit := int64(math.MaxInt64)
+	if *after && *before {
+		log.Fatal("cannot pass both -a and -b")
+	} else if *after {
+		llimit = t
+	} else if *before {
+		ulimit = t
+	}
+
 	var db TimelineDB
 	var err error
 	db.DB, err = sql.Open("sqlite3", "./timeline.db")
@@ -136,11 +126,6 @@ func main() {
 	}
 	defer db.Close()
 
-	llimit, ulimit, err := limits(t, *after, *before)
-	if err != nil {
-		log.Fatal(err)
-	}
-
 	events, err := db.closestEvents(t, *nevents, llimit, ulimit)
 	if err != nil {
 		log.Fatal(err)