gistfile1.rb

   310      # This all happens inside a transaction, _if_ the Transactions module is included into
   311      # ActiveRecord::Base after the AutosaveAssociation module, which it does by default.
   312      def save_has_one_association(reflection)
   313        if association = association_instance_get(reflection.name)
   314          debugger unless association.respond_to?(:new_record?)
=> 315          if reflection.options[:autosave] && association.marked_for_destruction?
   316            association.destroy
   317          elsif new_record? || association.new_record? || association[reflection.primary_key_name] != id || reflection.options[:autosave]
   318            association[reflection.primary_key_name] = id
   319            association.save(false)
/home/mike/biggu/whiteform.git/vendor/rails/activerecord/lib/active_record/autosave_association.rb:315
if reflection.options[:autosave] && association.marked_for_destruction?
(rdb:1) association
nil
(rdb:1) association.class
nil
(rdb:1) association.nil?
false
(rdb:1) y association

nil
(rdb:1) y nil
--- 
nil

# how do I end up inside that conditional with a nil?
# if it's really a nil, what's up with :nil? => false ?

really weird.. the association is a has_many :through, btw.