diff --git a/scripts/create_raw_data_fixture.py b/scripts/create_raw_data_fixture.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..98bd22f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/create_raw_data_fixture.py
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+import os
+
+from trufflepig import config
+import trufflepig.bchain.getdata as tpbg
+
+
+directory = os.path.join(config.PROJECT_DIRECTORY, 'scraped_data')
+
+
+frames = tpbg.scrape_or_load_training_data_parallel([config.NODE_URL],
+                                                       directory,
+                                                       days=20,
+                                                       stop_after=100,
+                                                       ncores=5,
+                                                       current_datetime='2018-02-11')
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/trufflepig/bchain/getdata.py b/trufflepig/bchain/getdata.py
index 495744d..d69d9bb 100644
--- a/trufflepig/bchain/getdata.py
+++ b/trufflepig/bchain/getdata.py
@@ -233,7 +233,11 @@ def scrape_or_load_full_day(date, steem, directory, overwrite=False,
     start_datetime = pd.to_datetime(date)
     end_datetime = start_datetime + pd.Timedelta(days=1)
     if not os.path.isdir(directory):
-        os.makedirs(directory)
+        try:
+            os.makedirs(directory)
+        except FileExistsError:
+            # race conditions
+            pass
     filename = FILENAME_TEMPLATE.format(year=start_datetime.year,
                                         month=start_datetime.month,
                                         day=start_datetime.day)
@@ -278,6 +282,8 @@ def scrape_or_load_training_data_parallel(node_urls, directory,
 
     if current_datetime is None:
         current_datetime = pd.datetime.utcnow()
+    else:
+        current_datetime = pd.to_datetime(current_datetime)
 
     start_datetime = current_datetime - pd.Timedelta(days=days + offset)