diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/accounts_profile_avatar.js b/app/assets/javascripts/accounts_profile_avatar.js
index 357bb924e..b228af8e0 100644
--- a/app/assets/javascripts/accounts_profile_avatar.js
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/accounts_profile_avatar.js
@@ -71,6 +71,7 @@
             }
 
             self.updatingAvatar = true;
+            renderAvatarSpinner();
 
             rest.deleteAvatar()
                 .done(deleteAvatarSuccess)
@@ -78,6 +79,9 @@
                     app.ajaxError(arguments);
                     self.updatingAvatar = false;
                 })
+                .always(function() {
+                    removeAvatarSpinner();
+                })
         }
 
         function deleteAvatarSuccess(response) {
@@ -96,26 +100,30 @@
         }
 
         function handleFilePick() {
+
             rest.getFilepickerPolicy()
                 .done(function(filepickerPolicy) {
+                    renderAvatarSpinner();
                     filepicker.setKey(gon.fp_apikey);
                     filepicker.pickAndStore({
-                        mimetype: 'image/*',
-                        maxSize: 10000*1024,
-                        policy: filepickerPolicy.policy,
-                        signature: filepickerPolicy.signature
-                    }, { path: createStorePath(self.userDetail), access: 'public'  },
-                    function(fpfiles) {
-                        afterImageUpload(fpfiles[0]);
-                    }, function(fperror) {
-                         if(fperror.code != 101) { // 101 just means the user closed the dialog
-                            alert("unable to upload file: " + JSON.stringify(fperror))
-                         }
-                    })
+                            mimetype: 'image/*',
+                            maxSize: 10000*1024,
+                            policy: filepickerPolicy.policy,
+                            signature: filepickerPolicy.signature
+                        }, { path: createStorePath(self.userDetail), access: 'public'  },
+                        function(fpfiles) {
+                            removeAvatarSpinner();
+                            afterImageUpload(fpfiles[0]);
+                        }, function(fperror) {
+                            removeAvatarSpinner();
+
+                            if(fperror.code != 101) { // 101 just means the user closed the dialog
+                                alert("unable to upload file: " + JSON.stringify(fperror))
+                            }
+                        })
                 })
                 .fail(app.ajaxError);
 
-
         }
         function renderAvatarScreen() {
 
@@ -129,11 +137,45 @@
             window.location = '#/account/profile'
         }
 
+        function renderAvatarSpinner() {
+            var avatarSpace = $('#account-profile-avatar-content-scroller .account-profile-avatar .avatar-space');
+            // if there is already an image tag, we only obscure it.
+
+            var avatar = $('img.preview_profile_avatar', avatarSpace);
+
+            var spinner = $('<div class="spinner spinner-large"></div>')
+            if(avatar.length == 0) {
+                avatarSpace.prepend(spinner);
+            }
+            else {
+                // in this case, just style the spinner to obscure using opacity, and center it
+                var jcropHolder = $('.jcrop-holder', avatarSpace);
+                spinner.width(jcropHolder.width());
+                spinner.height(jcropHolder.height());
+                spinner.addClass('op50');
+                var jcrop = avatar.data('Jcrop');
+                if(jcrop) {
+                    jcrop.disable();
+                }
+                avatarSpace.append(spinner);
+            }
+        }
+
+        function removeAvatarSpinner() {
+            var avatarSpace = $('#account-profile-avatar-content-scroller .account-profile-avatar .avatar-space');
+            var spinner = $('.spinner-large', avatarSpace);
+            spinner.remove();
+            var avatar = $('img.preview_profile_avatar', avatarSpace);
+            var jcrop = avatar.data('Jcrop')
+            if(jcrop) {
+                jcrop.enable();
+            }
+        }
+
         function renderAvatar(fpfile, storedSelection) {
 
             // clear out
             var avatarSpace = $('#account-profile-avatar-content-scroller .account-profile-avatar .avatar-space');
-            avatarSpace.children().remove();
 
             if(!fpfile) {
                 renderNoAvatar(avatarSpace);
@@ -142,10 +184,15 @@
 
                 rest.getFilepickerPolicy({handle: fpfile.url})
                     .done(function(filepickerPolicy) {
+                        avatarSpace.children().remove();
+                        renderAvatarSpinner();
+
                         var photo_url = fpfile.url + '?signature=' + filepickerPolicy.signature + '&policy=' + filepickerPolicy.policy;
                         avatar = new Image();
                         $(avatar)
                             .load(function(e) {
+                                removeAvatarSpinner();
+
                                 avatar = $(this);
                                 avatarSpace.append(avatar);
                                 var width = avatar.naturalWidth();
@@ -209,6 +256,9 @@
 
         function renderNoAvatar(avatarSpace) {
             // no avatar found for account
+
+            removeAvatarSpinner();
+
             var noAvatarSpace = $('<div></div>');
             noAvatarSpace.addClass('no-avatar-space');
             noAvatarSpace.text('Please upload a photo');
@@ -225,6 +275,7 @@
             if(selection) {
                 var currentSelection = selection;
                 self.updatingAvatar = true;
+                renderAvatarSpinner();
 
                 console.log("Converting...");
 
@@ -266,10 +317,11 @@
                                                 })
                                                     .done(updateAvatarSuccess)
                                                     .fail(app.ajaxError)
-                                                    .always(function() { self.updatingAvatar = false;})
+                                                    .always(function() { removeAvatarSpinner(); self.updatingAvatar = false;})
                                             },
                                             function(fperror) {
                                                 alert("unable to scale selection. error code: " + fperror.code);
+                                                removeAvatarSpinner();
                                                 self.updatingAvatar = false;
                                             })
                                     })
@@ -277,6 +329,7 @@
                             },
                             function(fperror) {
                                 alert("unable to crop selection. error code: " + fperror.code);
+                                removeAvatarSpinner();
                                 self.updatingAvatar = false;
                             }
                         );
@@ -291,7 +344,8 @@
             self.userDetail = response;
 
             // notify any listeners that the avatar changed
-            $('.avatar_large img').trigger('avatar_changed', [self.userDetail.photo_url]);
+            JK.Header.loadMe();
+            // $('.avatar_large img').trigger('avatar_changed', [self.userDetail.photo_url]);
 
             app.notify(
                 {   title: "Avatar Changed",
diff --git a/app/assets/stylesheets/client/account.css.scss b/app/assets/stylesheets/client/account.css.scss
index 001a2c0fa..47c9e8de9 100644
--- a/app/assets/stylesheets/client/account.css.scss
+++ b/app/assets/stylesheets/client/account.css.scss
@@ -81,11 +81,24 @@
     .avatar-space {
       color: $color2;
       margin-bottom: 20px;
+      position:relative;
+      min-height:300px;
 
       img.preview_profile_avatar {
       }
     }
 
+
+    .spinner-large {
+      width:300px;
+      height:300px;
+      line-height: 300px;
+      position:absolute;
+      top:0;
+      left:0;
+      z-index: 2000; // to win over jcrop
+    }
+
     .no-avatar-space {
       border:1px dotted $color2;
 
@@ -98,10 +111,7 @@
       background-color:$ColorTextBoxBackground;
 
     }
-
-
   }
-
 }
 
 
diff --git a/app/assets/stylesheets/client/jamkazam.css.scss b/app/assets/stylesheets/client/jamkazam.css.scss
index d11d9f4f0..5568fe74b 100644
--- a/app/assets/stylesheets/client/jamkazam.css.scss
+++ b/app/assets/stylesheets/client/jamkazam.css.scss
@@ -417,3 +417,11 @@ input[type="text"], input[type="password"]{
 /* Following is a style adjustment for the sign-in table spacing */
 #sign-in td { padding: 4px; }
 
+
+.spinner-large {
+  background-image: url('/assets/shared/spinner.gif');
+  background-repeat:no-repeat;
+  background-position:center;
+  width:128px;
+  height:128px;
+}
\ No newline at end of file