diff --git a/app/scheduler.py b/app/scheduler.py
index ef02aaf8..06acb337 100644
--- a/app/scheduler.py
+++ b/app/scheduler.py
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ from django.db.models import Q
 import random
 
 logger = logging.getLogger('app.logger')
-scheduler = None
+scheduler = BackgroundScheduler()
 
 def job(func):
     """
@@ -17,7 +17,8 @@ def job(func):
     so that we can call update_nodes_info(background=True) from the outside
     """
     def wrapper(*args,**kwargs):
-        if (kwargs.get('background', False)):
+        background = kwargs.get('background', False)
+        if background:
             t = Thread(target=func)
             t.start()
             return t
@@ -59,16 +60,13 @@ def process_pending_tasks():
 
     if tasks.count() > 0:
         pool = ThreadPool(tasks.count())
-        pool.map(process, tasks)
+        pool.map(process, tasks, chunksize=1)
         pool.close()
         pool.join()
 
 def setup():
-    global scheduler
-
     logger.info("Starting background scheduler...")
     try:
-        scheduler = BackgroundScheduler()
         scheduler.start()
         scheduler.add_job(update_nodes_info, 'interval', seconds=30)
         scheduler.add_job(process_pending_tasks, 'interval', seconds=5)
@@ -76,9 +74,8 @@ def setup():
         logger.warn("Scheduler already running (this is OK while testing)")
 
 def teardown():
-    if scheduler != None:
-        logger.info("Stopping scheduler...")
-        try:
-            scheduler.shutdown()
-        except SchedulerNotRunningError:
-            logger.warn("Scheduler not running")
+    logger.info("Stopping scheduler...")
+    try:
+        scheduler.shutdown()
+    except SchedulerNotRunningError:
+        logger.warn("Scheduler not running")
diff --git a/nodeodm/api_client.py b/nodeodm/api_client.py
index 55f00d98..13d0f926 100644
--- a/nodeodm/api_client.py
+++ b/nodeodm/api_client.py
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import requests
 import mimetypes
 import json
 import os
+from urlparse import urlunparse
 
 class ApiClient:
     def __init__(self, host, port):
@@ -13,7 +14,10 @@ class ApiClient:
         self.port = port
 
     def url(self, url):
-        return "http://{}:{}{}".format(self.host, self.port, url)
+        netloc = self.host if self.port == 80 else "{}:{}".format(self.host, self.port)
+
+        # TODO: https support
+        return urlunparse(('http', netloc, url, '', '', ''))
 
     def info(self):
         return requests.get(self.url('/info')).json()