diff --git a/src/libstd/io/stdio.rs b/src/libstd/io/stdio.rs
index 5f47e22790157..34a5788439839 100644
--- a/src/libstd/io/stdio.rs
+++ b/src/libstd/io/stdio.rs
@@ -160,7 +160,7 @@ fn reset_helper(w: ~Writer:Send,
 {
     let mut t = Local::borrow(None::<Task>);
     // Be sure to flush any pending output from the writer
-    match f(t.get(), w) {
+    match f(&mut *t, w) {
         Some(mut w) => {
             drop(t);
             // FIXME: is failing right here?
@@ -230,9 +230,7 @@ fn with_task_stdout(f: |&mut Writer| -> IoResult<()> ) {
             // To protect against this, we do a little dance in which we
             // temporarily take the task, swap the handles, put the task in TLS,
             // and only then drop the previous handle.
-            let mut t = Local::borrow(None::<Task>);
-            let prev = replace(&mut t.get().stdout, my_stdout);
-            drop(t);
+            let prev = replace(&mut Local::borrow(None::<Task>).stdout, my_stdout);
             drop(prev);
             ret
         }
diff --git a/src/libstd/rt/local_heap.rs b/src/libstd/rt/local_heap.rs
index b9d0d82937473..caf0d9028c5da 100644
--- a/src/libstd/rt/local_heap.rs
+++ b/src/libstd/rt/local_heap.rs
@@ -319,8 +319,7 @@ pub unsafe fn local_free(ptr: *u8) {
 }
 
 pub fn live_allocs() -> *mut Box {
-    let mut task = Local::borrow(None::<Task>);
-    task.get().heap.live_allocs
+    Local::borrow(None::<Task>).heap.live_allocs
 }
 
 #[cfg(test)]
diff --git a/src/libstd/rt/local_ptr.rs b/src/libstd/rt/local_ptr.rs
index e3f64f40c0d40..6b61af1d9a2eb 100644
--- a/src/libstd/rt/local_ptr.rs
+++ b/src/libstd/rt/local_ptr.rs
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@
 #![allow(dead_code)]
 
 use cast;
-use ops::Drop;
+use ops::{Drop, Deref, DerefMut};
 use ptr::RawPtr;
 
 #[cfg(windows)]               // mingw-w32 doesn't like thread_local things
@@ -48,13 +48,15 @@ impl<T> Drop for Borrowed<T> {
     }
 }
 
-impl<T> Borrowed<T> {
-    pub fn get<'a>(&'a mut self) -> &'a mut T {
-        unsafe {
-            let val_ptr: &mut ~T = cast::transmute(&mut self.val);
-            let val_ptr: &'a mut T = *val_ptr;
-            val_ptr
-        }
+impl<T> Deref<T> for Borrowed<T> {
+    fn deref<'a>(&'a self) -> &'a T {
+        unsafe { &*(self.val as *T) }
+    }
+}
+
+impl<T> DerefMut<T> for Borrowed<T> {
+    fn deref_mut<'a>(&'a mut self) -> &'a mut T {
+        unsafe { &mut *(self.val as *mut T) }
     }
 }
 
diff --git a/src/libstd/rt/task.rs b/src/libstd/rt/task.rs
index a112ed77f094f..a3664b45a4178 100644
--- a/src/libstd/rt/task.rs
+++ b/src/libstd/rt/task.rs
@@ -127,8 +127,8 @@ impl Task {
                 #[allow(unused_must_use)]
                 fn close_outputs() {
                     let mut task = Local::borrow(None::<Task>);
-                    let stderr = task.get().stderr.take();
-                    let stdout = task.get().stdout.take();
+                    let stderr = task.stderr.take();
+                    let stdout = task.stdout.take();
                     drop(task);
                     match stdout { Some(mut w) => { w.flush(); }, None => {} }
                     match stderr { Some(mut w) => { w.flush(); }, None => {} }
@@ -159,8 +159,7 @@ impl Task {
                 // be intertwined, and miraculously work for now...
                 let mut task = Local::borrow(None::<Task>);
                 let storage_map = {
-                    let task = task.get();
-                    let LocalStorage(ref mut optmap) = task.storage;
+                    let &LocalStorage(ref mut optmap) = &mut task.storage;
                     optmap.take()
                 };
                 drop(task);
@@ -332,8 +331,7 @@ impl BlockedTask {
     }
 
     /// Converts one blocked task handle to a list of many handles to the same.
-    pub fn make_selectable(self, num_handles: uint) -> Take<BlockedTasks>
-    {
+    pub fn make_selectable(self, num_handles: uint) -> Take<BlockedTasks> {
         let arc = match self {
             Owned(task) => {
                 let flag = unsafe { AtomicUint::new(cast::transmute(task)) };
diff --git a/src/libstd/task.rs b/src/libstd/task.rs
index ed10f6d15cd66..df627809ea029 100644
--- a/src/libstd/task.rs
+++ b/src/libstd/task.rs
@@ -257,8 +257,8 @@ pub fn try<T:Send>(f: proc():Send -> T) -> Result<T, ~Any:Send> {
 pub fn with_task_name<U>(blk: |Option<&str>| -> U) -> U {
     use rt::task::Task;
 
-    let mut task = Local::borrow(None::<Task>);
-    match task.get().name {
+    let task = Local::borrow(None::<Task>);
+    match task.name {
         Some(ref name) => blk(Some(name.as_slice())),
         None => blk(None)
     }
@@ -276,11 +276,8 @@ pub fn deschedule() {
 
 pub fn failing() -> bool {
     //! True if the running task has failed
-
     use rt::task::Task;
-
-    let mut local = Local::borrow(None::<Task>);
-    local.get().unwinder.unwinding()
+    Local::borrow(None::<Task>).unwinder.unwinding()
 }
 
 // The following 8 tests test the following 2^3 combinations: