diff --git a/app/uploaders/image_uploader.rb b/app/uploaders/image_uploader.rb
index e118e0f844453dffdd488cc93fe11b63b1f52f9f..2a55e30592e564c46ded16c6ea9b7c83f744cdc6 100644
--- a/app/uploaders/image_uploader.rb
+++ b/app/uploaders/image_uploader.rb
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ class ImageUploader < CarrierWave::Uploader::Base
   end
 
   version :thumb_large do
-    process :resize_to_fill => [300,200]
+    process :resize_to_fill => [300,300]
   end
 
   version :scaled_full do
diff --git a/app/views/layouts/application.html.haml b/app/views/layouts/application.html.haml
index 979538d54563309cca7754f85b63d21e616a85f3..62d0c4eb164723f8d00ec4148b7dee617285e83c 100644
--- a/app/views/layouts/application.html.haml
+++ b/app/views/layouts/application.html.haml
@@ -29,45 +29,28 @@
     = javascript_include_tag 'jquery.html5_upload'
 
   %body
+    - flash.each do |name, msg|
+      = content_tag :div, msg, :id => "flash_#{name}"
+
     %header
       .container
-        - flash.each do |name, msg|
-          = content_tag :div, msg, :id => "flash_#{name}"
-        #diaspora_text{:href => root_path}
-          = link_to "DIASPORA*", root_path
-          %span.sub_text
-            PREVIEW
-
         #session_action
           - if user_signed_in?
-            = link_to current_user.real_name, current_user.person
-            |
-            = link_to "requests (#{@request_count})", requests_path, :class => new_request(@request_count)
-            |
-            = link_to "logout", destroy_user_session_path
+            %ul#user_menu
+              %li.name= link_to current_user.real_name, current_user.person
+              %li= link_to "requests (#{@request_count})", requests_path, :class => new_request(@request_count)
+              %li= link_to "settings", edit_user_path(current_user)
+              %li= link_to "logout", destroy_user_session_path
           - else
             = link_to "login", new_user_session_path
-        
-        = render "shared/group_nav"
 
+        #diaspora_text{:href => root_path}
+          = link_to "DIASPORA*", root_path
+          %span.sub_text
+            PREVIEW
+        = render "shared/group_nav"
 
-    .container
-      - if user_signed_in?
-        #user_name
-          = link_to(person_image_tag(current_user), root_path)
-          %h1
-            = link_to current_user.real_name, root_path
-            %span#latest_message
-              = my_latest_message
-            %span{:style => "font-size: small", :id => 'latest_message_time'}
-              - unless @latest_status_message.nil?
-                = "- #{how_long_ago @latest_status_message}"
-
-          %ul.nav
-            %li= link_to "home", root_path
-            %li= link_to "photos", albums_path
-            %li= "|"
-            %li= link_to "edit profile", edit_user_path(current_user)
+        = link_to "photos", albums_path
 
     .container
       .span-24.last
diff --git a/public/stylesheets/application.css b/public/stylesheets/application.css
index 05a80acf238e6ae7d3c310509265731780e5c892..0d8edc7da480790048d55942cb24734dae2514e5 100644
--- a/public/stylesheets/application.css
+++ b/public/stylesheets/application.css
@@ -66,7 +66,7 @@ a {
 header {
   position: relative;
   margin: -2em;
-    margin-bottom: 30px;
+    margin-bottom: 20px;
   color: #555555;
   background-color: #2b2726;
   background-color: black;
@@ -88,11 +88,8 @@ header {
     float: right;
     text-shadow: 0 1px 0 black;
     padding-right: 10px; }
-    header #session_action a {
-      color: #777777;
-      border: none; }
-      header #session_action a.new_requests {
-        color: #df0101; }
+    header #session_action a.new_requests {
+      color: #df0101; }
 
 #show_filters {
   z-index: 100;
@@ -144,10 +141,9 @@ h1 {
   font-size: 21px;
   font-weight: bold;
   line-height: 36px; }
-  h1 p.description, h1 span.description {
+  h1 p.description, h1 span.description, h1 .description {
     font-weight: 200;
-    color: #999999;
-    padding: 0.1em; }
+    color: #999999; }
 
 h3 {
   position: relativex;
@@ -352,7 +348,7 @@ ul#publisher_content_pickers li {
 /* cycle it! */
 .album {
   position: relative;
-  height: 200px;
+  height: 300px;
   width: 300px;
   display: inline-block; }
   .album .name {
@@ -378,9 +374,8 @@ h1.big_text {
   position: relative;
   line-height: auto;
   border-bottom: 1px solid #666666; }
-
-.big_text .right {
-  top: -8px; }
+  h1.big_text .right {
+    top: -6px; }
 
 #content_bottom .right {
   top: -5px; }
@@ -462,3 +457,16 @@ h1.big_text {
   display: none;
   left: -25px;
   top: 4px; }
+
+#user_menu {
+  background: #333333;
+  padding: 5px;
+  margin: 0;
+  list-style: none; }
+  #user_menu a {
+    color: #999999; }
+  #user_menu > li {
+    display: inline;
+    margin-right: 1em; }
+    #user_menu > li:last-child {
+      margin-right: 0; }
diff --git a/public/stylesheets/sass/application.sass b/public/stylesheets/sass/application.sass
index 516d7a5665993ba99809cecdd302f16114b85311..9ef450368b97eafd1223f1ee14d260569a4d752c 100644
--- a/public/stylesheets/sass/application.sass
+++ b/public/stylesheets/sass/application.sass
@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@ a
 header
   :position relative
   :margin -2em
-    :bottom 30px
+    :bottom 20px
   :color #555
   :background
     :color #2B2726
@@ -101,8 +101,6 @@ header
     :float right
     :text-shadow 0 1px 0 #000
     a
-      :color #777
-      :border none
       &.new_requests
         :color #DF0101
     :padding-right 10px
@@ -168,11 +166,10 @@ h1
     :weight bold
   :line-height 36px
 
-  p.description, span.description
+  p.description, span.description, .description
     :font
       :weight 200
     :color #999
-    :padding 0.1em
 
 h3
   :position relativex
@@ -432,7 +429,7 @@ ul#publisher_content_pickers li
 
 .album
   :position relative
-  :height 200px
+  :height 300px
   :width 300px
   :display inline-block
 
@@ -467,12 +464,11 @@ h1.big_text
   :position relative
   :line-height auto
   :border
-    //:top 2px solid #666
     :bottom 1px solid #666
 
-.big_text
   .right
-    :top -8px
+    :top -6px
+
 #content_bottom
   .right
     :top -5px
@@ -577,3 +573,22 @@ h1.big_text
   :left -25px
   :top 4px
 
+#user_menu
+  :background #333
+  :padding 5px 
+  :margin 0
+  :list-style none
+
+  a
+    :color #999
+
+  > li
+    :display inline
+    :margin
+      :right 1em
+
+    &:last-child
+      :margin
+        :right 0
+
+