diff --git a/planetstack/tests/usertest.py b/planetstack/tests/usertest.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1b5c41b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/planetstack/tests/usertest.py
@@ -0,0 +1,72 @@
+import json
+import os
+import requests
+import sys
+
+from operator import itemgetter, attrgetter
+
+REST_API="http://node43.princeton.vicci.org:8000/plstackapi/"
+USERS_API = REST_API + "users/"
+
+username = sys.argv[1]
+password = sys.argv[2]
+
+opencloud_auth=(username, password)
+
+admin_auth=("scott@onlab.us", "letmein")
+
+print "users I can see:"
+r = requests.get(USERS_API + "?email=%s" % username, auth=opencloud_auth)
+for user in r.json():
+    print "  ", user["email"]
+
+myself = r.json()[0]
+
+if myself["phone"] == "123":
+    myself["phone"] = "456"
+else:
+    myself["phone"] = "123"
+
+r = requests.put(USERS_API + str(myself["id"]) +"/", data=myself, auth=opencloud_auth)
+if r.status_code == 200:
+    print "I updated my phone to", myself["phone"]
+else:
+    print "I failed to update my phone"
+
+if myself["is_admin"] == True:
+    myself["is_admin"] = False
+else:
+    myself["is_admin"] = True
+
+r = requests.put(USERS_API + str(myself["id"]) +"/", data=myself, auth=opencloud_auth)
+if r.status_code == 200:
+    print "I updated my is_admin to", myself["is_admin"]
+else:
+    print "I failed to update my is_admin"
+
+r = requests.get(USERS_API + "?email=jhh@cs.arizona.edu", auth=opencloud_auth)
+if len(r.json())>0:
+    print "I was able to read jhh@cs.arizona.edu"
+else:
+    print "I was not able to read jhh@cs.arizona.edu"
+
+# get john's record using admin, so we can try to update it
+r = requests.get(USERS_API + "?email=jhh@cs.arizona.edu", auth=admin_auth)
+if len(r.json())>0:
+    print "Admin was able to read jhh@cs.arizona.edu"
+    jhh = r.json()[0]
+else:
+    print "ADmin was not able to read jhh@cs.arizona.edu"
+    jhh = None
+
+if jhh:
+    # try to update john's user record
+    r = requests.put(USERS_API + str(jhh["id"]) + "/", data=jhh, auth=opencloud_auth)
+    if r.status_code == 200:
+        print "I was able to update user", str(jhh["id"])
+    else:
+        print "I was not able to update user", str(jhh["id"])
+
+
+
+