diff --git a/.mailmap b/.mailmap
index f081ccf1bb61..2bbc329fceab 100644
--- a/.mailmap
+++ b/.mailmap
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 # Format is:
 # <preferred e-mail> <other e-mail 1>
 # <preferred e-mail> <other e-mail 2>
+<aaron.lee@rackspace.com> <wwkeyboard@gmail.com>
 <anotherjesse@gmail.com> <jesse@dancelamb>
 <anotherjesse@gmail.com> <jesse@gigantor.local>
 <anotherjesse@gmail.com> <jesse@ubuntu>
diff --git a/nova/compute/manager.py b/nova/compute/manager.py
index 660824d2e60a..76a8ab7f60a9 100644
--- a/nova/compute/manager.py
+++ b/nova/compute/manager.py
@@ -409,14 +409,9 @@ class ComputeManager(manager.SchedulerDependentManager):
                 if network_info is not None:
                     _deallocate_network()
 
-        @contextlib.contextmanager
-        def _logging_error(instance_id, message):
-            try:
-                yield
-            except Exception as error:
-                with utils.save_and_reraise_exception():
-                    LOG.exception(_("Instance '%(instance_id)s' "
-                                   "failed %(message)s.") % locals())
+        def _error_message(instance_id, message):
+            return _("Instance '%(instance_id)s' "
+                     "failed %(message)s.") % locals()
 
         context = context.elevated()
         instance = self.db.instance_get(context, instance_id)
@@ -444,14 +439,16 @@ class ComputeManager(manager.SchedulerDependentManager):
         is_vpn = instance['image_ref'] == str(FLAGS.vpn_image_id)
         try:
             network_info = None
-            with _logging_error(instance_id, "network setup"):
+            with utils.logging_error(_error_message(instance_id,
+                                                    "network setup")):
                 network_info = _make_network_info()
 
             self._instance_update(context,
                                   instance_id,
                                   vm_state=vm_states.BUILDING,
                                   task_state=task_states.BLOCK_DEVICE_MAPPING)
-            with _logging_error(instance_id, "block device setup"):
+            with utils.logging_error(_error_message(instance_id,
+                                                    "block device setup")):
                 block_device_info = _make_block_device_info()
 
             self._instance_update(context,
@@ -460,7 +457,8 @@ class ComputeManager(manager.SchedulerDependentManager):
                                   task_state=task_states.SPAWNING)
 
             # TODO(vish) check to make sure the availability zone matches
-            with _logging_error(instance_id, "failed to spawn"):
+            with utils.logging_error(_error_message(instance_id,
+                                                    "failed to spawn")):
                 self.driver.spawn(context, instance, image_meta,
                                   network_info, block_device_info)
 
diff --git a/nova/utils.py b/nova/utils.py
index 655be744d9d2..0023442b1b1b 100644
--- a/nova/utils.py
+++ b/nova/utils.py
@@ -1002,6 +1002,19 @@ def save_and_reraise_exception():
     raise type_, value, traceback
 
 
+@contextlib.contextmanager
+def logging_error(message):
+    """Catches exception, write message to the log, re-raise.
+    This is a common refinement of save_and_reraise that writes a specific
+    message to the log.
+    """
+    try:
+        yield
+    except Exception as error:
+        with save_and_reraise_exception():
+            LOG.exception(message)
+
+
 def make_dev_path(dev, partition=None, base='/dev'):
     """Return a path to a particular device.