diff --git a/include/datetime.php b/include/datetime.php
index 6d395fe3f..f4dcfce62 100644
--- a/include/datetime.php
+++ b/include/datetime.php
@@ -80,6 +80,16 @@ function field_timezone($name='timezone', $label='', $current = 'America/Los_Ang
 if(! function_exists('datetime_convert')) {
 function datetime_convert($from = 'UTC', $to = 'UTC', $s = 'now', $fmt = "Y-m-d H:i:s") {
 
+	// Defaults to UTC if nothing is set, but throws an exception if set to empty string.
+	// Provide some sane defaults regardless.
+
+	if($from === '')
+		$from = 'UTC';
+	if($to === '')
+		$to = 'UTC';
+	if($s === '')
+		$s = 'now';
+
 	// Slight hackish adjustment so that 'zero' datetime actually returns what is intended
 	// otherwise we end up with -0001-11-30 ...
 	// add 32 days so that we at least get year 00, and then hack around the fact that 
diff --git a/mod/dfrn_request.php b/mod/dfrn_request.php
index 5881b7b51..80d27ac30 100644
--- a/mod/dfrn_request.php
+++ b/mod/dfrn_request.php
@@ -180,7 +180,7 @@ function dfrn_request_post(&$a) {
 				
 				// (ignore reply, nothing we can do it failed)
 
-				goaway($dfrn_url);
+				goaway(zrl($dfrn_url));
 				return; // NOTREACHED
 
 			}