Rails habtm grief am I dumb or rails bug? (desperate ; )
class Pushbroom::UserAccount < ActiveRecord::Base
  require 'digest/md5'
  require 'base64'

  establish_connection :pushbroom
  set_table_name :user_account
  set_primary_key :id

  has_and_belongs_to_many :user_roles, :join_table => 'pb_prod.users_roles', :class_name => 'Pushbroom::UserRole', :foreign_key => 'user_account_id', :association_foreign_key => 'user_role_id'
  belongs_to :user, :dependent => :destroy


  attr_accessible :user_roles, :admin_notes, :enabled, :username, :password_hash, :prefStore, :accepted_tos, :do_not_contact
end


class Pushbroom::UserRole < ActiveRecord::Base

  establish_connection :pushbroom
  set_table_name :user_role
  set_primary_key :id

  has_and_belongs_to_many :user_accounts, :join_table => 'pb_prod.users_roles', :class_name => 'Pushbroom::UserAccount', :foreign_key => 'user_role_id', :association_foreign_key => 'user_account_id'


end

class User < ActiveRecord::Base

  after_create :send_welcome_email
  before_save :create_pushbroom_user_data

  # Include default devise modules. Others available are:
  # :token_authenticatable, :encryptable, :confirmable, :lockable, :timeoutable and :omniauthable
  devise :database_authenticatable, :registerable,
         :recoverable, :rememberable, :trackable, :validatable

  belongs_to :pb_user_account, :class_name => "Pushbroom::UserAccount", :foreign_key => "pb_user_account_id", :dependent => :destroy, :autosave => true

  # Setup accessible (or protected) attributes for your model
  attr_accessible :first_name, :last_name, :username, :dob, :email, :password,         :password_confirmation, :remember_me

  validates_presence_of :first_name, :last_name, :username, :dob
  validates_date :dob, :on_or_after => lambda { 100.years.ago }, :on_or_after_message => "must be on or after #{100.years.ago.strftime('%m-%d-%Y')}"
  validates_date :dob, :on_or_before => lambda { 13.years.ago }, :on_or_before_message => "must be on or before #{13.years.ago.strftime('%m-%d-%Y')}"

  def create_pushbroom_user_data
    pb_user = create_pushbroom_user
    pb_user_account = create_pushbroom_user_account(pb_user)
    pb_user_account.user_roles << Pushbroom::UserRole.find_by_name('user')
    self.pb_user_account = pb_user_account
  end

  def create_pushbroom_user
    pb_user = Pushbroom::User.new
    pb_user.attributes = self.attributes.slice(
      "email",
      "first_name",
      "last_name",
      "dob")

    pb_user
  end

def create_pushbroom_user_account(pb_user)
    pb_user_account = Pushbroom::UserAccount.new
    pb_user_account.enabled = true
    pb_user_account.password_hash =                 Pushbroom::UserAccount.create_password_digest(@plaintext_password, self.username)
    pb_user_account.username = self.username
    pb_user_account.user = pb_user

    pb_user_account
  end

ruby-1.9.2-p180 :001 > def user_fred
ruby-1.9.2-p180 :002?>       {
ruby-1.9.2-p180 :003 >             :first_name => "Fred",
ruby-1.9.2-p180 :004 >             :last_name => "Flinstone",
ruby-1.9.2-p180 :005 >             :username => "fflint",
ruby-1.9.2-p180 :006 >             :dob => "1986-06-01",
ruby-1.9.2-p180 :007 >             :email => "fred@mydomain.org",
ruby-1.9.2-p180 :008 >             :password => "badpass"
ruby-1.9.2-p180 :009?>         }
ruby-1.9.2-p180 :010?>     end
 => nil
ruby-1.9.2-p180 :011 > user = User.new(user_fred)
 => #<User id: nil, email: "fred@mydomain.org", encrypted_password:     "$2a$10$IiEOEoSnXIrP7VJAQYckfOVXuzm7Y5ZGo20ayLpSkHhz...", reset_password_token: nil, remember_created_at: nil, sign_in_count: 0, current_sign_in_at: nil, last_sign_in_at: nil, current_sign_in_ip: nil, last_sign_in_ip: nil, created_at: nil, updated_at: nil, first_name: "Fred", last_name: "Flinstone", username: "fflint", dob: "1986-06-01", pb_user_account_id: nil>
ruby-1.9.2-p180 :012 > user.create_pushbroom_user_data
=> #<Pushbroom::UserAccount id: nil, created_by: nil, created_at: nil, updated_by: nil,     updated_at: nil, admin_notes: nil, enabled: true, username: "fflint", password_hash: "blah     blah", user_id: nil, prefStore: nil, accepted_tos: nil, do_not_contact: nil>
ruby-1.9.2-p180 :013 > user.pb_user_account.user_roles
 => [#<Pushbroom::UserRole id: 1, created_by: "script", created_at: "2008-11-10     12:10:44", updated_by: "script", updated_at: "2008-11-10 12:10:44", admin_notes: "", name:     "user", description: "Generic User Role", conditional: false>]
ruby-1.9.2-p180 :014 > user.save!
NoMethodError: undefined method `relation' for nil:NilClass
  from /Users/gander/.rvm/gems/ruby-1.9.2-p180@sms2/gems/activesupport-    3.0.5/lib/active_support/whiny_nil.rb:48:in `method_missing'
  from /Users/gander/.rvm/gems/ruby-1.9.2-p180@sms2/gems/arel-    2.0.9/lib/arel/insert_manager.rb:22:in `insert'
  from /Users/gander/.rvm/gems/ruby-1.9.2-p180@sms2/gems/arel-    2.0.9/lib/arel/crud.rb:26:in `insert'
  from /Users/gander/.rvm/gems/ruby-1.9.2-p180@sms2/gems/activerecord-    3.0.5/lib/active_record/associations/has_and_belongs_to_many_association.rb:76:in     `insert_record'
  from /Users/gander/.rvm/gems/ruby-1.9.2-p180@sms2/gems/activerecord-    3.0.5/lib/active_record/associations/association_proxy.rb:151:in `send'
  from /Users/gander/.rvm/gems/ruby-1.9.2-p180@sms2/gems/activerecord-3.0.5/lib/active_record/autosave_association.rb:306:in `block in     save_collection_association'
  from /Users/gander/.rvm/gems/ruby-1.9.2-p180@sms2/gems/activerecord-3.0.5/lib/active_record/associations/association_collection.rb:431:in `block in     method_missing'
  from /Users/gander/.rvm/gems/ruby-1.9.2-p180@sms2/gems/activerecord-3.0.5/lib/active_record/associations/association_proxy.rb:216:in `block in method_missing'
  from /Users/gander/.rvm/gems/ruby-1.9.2-p180@sms2/gems/activerecord-3.0.5/lib/active_record/associations/association_proxy.rb:216:in `each'
  from /Users/gander/.rvm/gems/ruby-1.9.2-p180@sms2/gems/activerecord-3.0.5/lib/active_record/associations/association_proxy.rb:216:in `method_missing'
  from /Users/gander/.rvm/gems/ruby-1.9.2-p180@sms2/gems/activerecord-3.0.5/lib/active_record/associations/association_collection.rb:431:in `method_missing'
  from /Users/gander/.rvm/gems/ruby-1.9.2-p180@sms2/gems/activerecord-3.0.5/lib/active_record/autosave_association.rb:297:in `save_collection_association'
  from /Users/gander/.rvm/gems/ruby-1.9.2-p180@sms2/gems/activerecord-3.0.5/lib/active_record/autosave_association.rb:163:in `block in add_autosave_association_callbacks'
  from /Users/gander/.rvm/gems/ruby-1.9.2-p180@sms2/gems/activesupport-3.0.5/lib/active_support/callbacks.rb:415:in `_run_create_callbacks'
  from /Users/gander/.rvm/gems/ruby-1.9.2-p180@sms2/gems/activerecord-3.0.5/lib/active_record/callbacks.rb:281:in `create'
  from /Users/gander/.rvm/gems/ruby-1.9.2-p180@sms2/gems/activerecord-3.0.5/lib/active_record/persistence.rb:246:in `create_or_update'
... 18 levels...
  from /Users/gander/.rvm/gems/ruby-1.9.2-p180@sms2/gems/activerecord-3.0.5/lib/active_record/callbacks.rb:277:in `create_or_update'
  from /Users/gander/.rvm/gems/ruby-1.9.2-p180@sms2/gems/activerecord-3.0.5/lib/active_record/persistence.rb:56:in `save!'
  from /Users/gander/.rvm/gems/ruby-1.9.2-p180@sms2/gems/activerecord-3.0.5/lib/active_record/validations.rb:49:in `save!'
  from /Users/gander/.rvm/gems/ruby-1.9.2-p180@sms2/gems/activerecord-3.0.5/lib/active_record/attribute_methods/dirty.rb:30:in `save!'
  from /Users/gander/.rvm/gems/ruby-1.9.2-p180@sms2/gems/activerecord-3.0.5/lib/active_record/transactions.rb:245:in `block in save!'
  from /Users/gander/.rvm/gems/ruby-1.9.2-p180@sms2/gems/activerecord-    3.0.5/lib/active_record/transactions.rb:292:in `block in with_transaction_returning_status'
  from /Users/gander/.rvm/gems/ruby-1.9.2-p180@sms2/gems/activerecord-3.0.5/lib/active_record/connection_adapters/abstract/database_statements.rb:139:in     `transaction'
  from /Users/gander/.rvm/gems/ruby-1.9.2-p180@sms2/gems/activerecord-3.0.5/lib/active_record/transactions.rb:207:in `transaction'
  from /Users/gander/.rvm/gems/ruby-1.9.2-p180@sms2/gems/activerecord-3.0.5/lib/active_record/transactions.rb:290:in `with_transaction_returning_status'
  from /Users/gander/.rvm/gems/ruby-1.9.2-p180@sms2/gems/activerecord-3.0.5/lib/active_record/transactions.rb:245:in `save!'
  from (irb):14
  from /Users/gander/.rvm/gems/ruby-1.9.2-p180@sms2/gems/railties-3.0.5/lib/rails/commands/console.rb:44:in `start'
  from /Users/gander/.rvm/gems/ruby-1.9.2-p180@sms2/gems/railties-3.0.5/lib/rails/commands/console.rb:8:in `start'
  from /Users/gander/.rvm/gems/ruby-1.9.2-p180@sms2/gems/railties-3.0.5/lib/rails/commands.rb:23:in `<top (required)>'
  from script/rails:6:in `require'
  from script/rails:6:in `<main>'ruby-1.9.2-p180 :015 >

class Pushbroom::UsersRolesRelationship < ActiveRecord::Base

  establish_connection :pushbroom
  set_table_name :users_roles

  belongs_to :user_account
  belongs_to :user_role
end

class Pushbroom::UserAccount < ActiveRecord::Base

  establish_connection :pushbroom
  set_table_name :user_account
  set_primary_key :id

  has_many :users_roles_relationships
  has_many :user_roles, :through => :users_roles_relationships, :source => :user_role
end

class Pushbroom::UserRole < ActiveRecord::Base

  establish_connection :pushbroom
  set_table_name :user_role
  set_primary_key :id

  has_many :users_roles_relationships
  has_many :user_accounts, :through => :users_roles_relationships, :source => :user_account
end

def add_subscription_plan_roles_to_pb_user_account(pb_user_account)
    roles_granted = pb_user_account.user.subscriptions.first.subscription_plan.roles_granted
    pb_user_account.user_roles = roles_granted
end