diff --git a/Gemfile.lock b/Gemfile.lock
index 234bcf3..a0e9846 100644
--- a/Gemfile.lock
+++ b/Gemfile.lock
@@ -12,21 +12,21 @@ GEM
   remote: http://rubygems.org/
   specs:
     abstract (1.0.0)
-    actionpack (3.0.3)
-      activemodel (= 3.0.3)
-      activesupport (= 3.0.3)
+    actionpack (3.0.4)
+      activemodel (= 3.0.4)
+      activesupport (= 3.0.4)
       builder (~> 2.1.2)
       erubis (~> 2.6.6)
       i18n (~> 0.4)
       rack (~> 1.2.1)
       rack-mount (~> 0.6.13)
-      rack-test (~> 0.5.6)
+      rack-test (~> 0.5.7)
       tzinfo (~> 0.3.23)
-    activemodel (3.0.3)
-      activesupport (= 3.0.3)
+    activemodel (3.0.4)
+      activesupport (= 3.0.4)
       builder (~> 2.1.2)
       i18n (~> 0.4)
-    activesupport (3.0.3)
+    activesupport (3.0.4)
     builder (2.1.2)
     couchrest (1.0.1)
       json (>= 1.4.6)
@@ -36,16 +36,16 @@ GEM
     erubis (2.6.6)
       abstract (>= 1.0.0)
     i18n (0.5.0)
-    json (1.4.6)
+    json (1.5.1)
     mime-types (1.16)
     rack (1.2.1)
     rack-mount (0.6.13)
       rack (>= 1.0.0)
     rack-test (0.5.7)
       rack (>= 1.0)
-    railties (3.0.3)
-      actionpack (= 3.0.3)
-      activesupport (= 3.0.3)
+    railties (3.0.4)
+      actionpack (= 3.0.4)
+      activesupport (= 3.0.4)
       rake (>= 0.8.7)
       thor (~> 0.14.4)
     rake (0.8.7)
@@ -60,17 +60,12 @@ GEM
       diff-lcs (~> 1.1.2)
     rspec-mocks (2.3.0)
     thor (0.14.6)
-    tzinfo (0.3.23)
+    tzinfo (0.3.24)
 
 PLATFORMS
   ruby
 
 DEPENDENCIES
-  activemodel (~> 3.0.0)
-  couchrest (~> 1.0.1)
   couchrest_model!
-  mime-types (~> 1.15)
   rack-test (>= 0.5.7)
-  railties (~> 3.0.0)
   rspec (>= 2.0.0)
-  tzinfo (~> 0.3.22)
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 4e3729e..36985de 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -221,7 +221,7 @@ you'd like to use. For example:
       property :toys, [CatToy]
     end
 
-    @cat = Cat.new(:name => 'Felix', :toys => [{:name => 'mouse', :purchases => 1.month.ago}])
+    @cat = Cat.new(:name => 'Felix', :toys => [{:name => 'mouse', :purchased => 1.month.ago}])
     @cat.toys.first.class == CatToy
     @cat.toys.first.name == 'mouse'
 
@@ -387,7 +387,7 @@ Two types at the moment:
 
     collection_of :tags
 
-This is a somewhat controvesial feature of CouchRest Model that some document database purists may fringe at. CouchDB does not yet povide many features to support relationships between documents but the fact of that matter is that its a very useful paradigm for modelling data systems.
+This is a somewhat controvesial feature of CouchRest Model that some document database purists may cringe at. CouchDB does not yet povide many features to support relationships between documents but the fact of that matter is that its a very useful paradigm for modelling data systems.
 
 In the near future we hope to add support for a `has_many` relationship that takes of the _Linked Documents_ feature that arrived in CouchDB 0.11.
 
diff --git a/history.txt b/history.txt
index 824b672..6d91715 100644
--- a/history.txt
+++ b/history.txt
@@ -6,6 +6,9 @@
 
 * Minor enhancements:
   * A yield parameter in an anonymous casted model property block is no longer required (@samlown)
+	* Narrow the rescued exception to avoid catching class evaluation errors that has nothing to to with the association (thanks Simone Carletti)
+	* Fix validate uniqueness test that was never executed (thanks Simone Carletti)
+	* Adds a #reload method to reload document attributes (thanks Simone Carletti)
 
 == CouchRest Model 1.0.0
 
diff --git a/lib/couchrest/model/associations.rb b/lib/couchrest/model/associations.rb
index ac02fda..e810c94 100644
--- a/lib/couchrest/model/associations.rb
+++ b/lib/couchrest/model/associations.rb
@@ -25,8 +25,8 @@ module CouchRest
 
           begin
             opts[:class] = opts[:class_name].constantize
-          rescue
-            raise "Unable to convert class name into Constant for #{self.name}##{attrib}"
+          rescue NameError
+            raise NameError, "Unable to convert class name into Constant for #{self.name}##{attrib}"
           end
 
           prop = property(opts[:foreign_key], opts)
diff --git a/lib/couchrest/model/persistence.rb b/lib/couchrest/model/persistence.rb
index fbc35ba..bc6494c 100644
--- a/lib/couchrest/model/persistence.rb
+++ b/lib/couchrest/model/persistence.rb
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ module CouchRest
     module Persistence
       extend ActiveSupport::Concern
 
-      # Create the document. Validation is enabled by default and will return 
+      # Create the document. Validation is enabled by default and will return
       # false if the document is not valid. If all goes well, the document will
       # be returned.
       def create(options = {})
@@ -16,13 +16,13 @@ module CouchRest
           end
         end
       end
-     
+
       # Creates the document in the db. Raises an exception
       # if the document is not created properly.
       def create!
         self.class.fail_validate!(self) unless self.create
       end
-      
+
       # Trigger the callbacks (before, after, around)
       # only if the document isn't new
       def update(options = {})
@@ -35,12 +35,12 @@ module CouchRest
           end
         end
       end
-      
+
       # Trigger the callbacks (before, after, around) and save the document
       def save(options = {})
         self.new? ? create(options) : update(options)
       end
-      
+
       # Saves the document to the db using save. Raises an exception
       # if the document is not saved properly.
       def save!
@@ -65,7 +65,6 @@ module CouchRest
       # Update the document's attributes and save. For example:
       #
       #   doc.update_attributes :name => "Fred"
-      # 
       # Is the equivilent of doing the following:
       #
       #   doc.attributes = { :name => "Fred" }
@@ -76,7 +75,17 @@ module CouchRest
         save
       end
 
-    protected
+      # Reloads the attributes of this object from the database.
+      # It doesn't override custom instance variables.
+      #
+      # Returns self.
+      def reload
+        merge!(self.class.get(id))
+        self
+      end
+
+
+      protected
 
       def perform_validations(options = {})
         perform_validation = case options
@@ -101,8 +110,8 @@ module CouchRest
           base.new(doc, :directly_set_attributes => true)
         end
 
-        # Defines an instance and save it directly to the database 
-        # 
+        # Defines an instance and save it directly to the database
+        #
         # ==== Returns
         #  returns the reloaded document
         def create(attributes = {})
@@ -110,9 +119,9 @@ module CouchRest
           instance.create
           instance
         end
-        
-        # Defines an instance and save it directly to the database 
-        # 
+
+        # Defines an instance and save it directly to the database
+        #
         # ==== Returns
         #  returns the reloaded document or raises an exception
         def create!(attributes = {})
@@ -148,7 +157,7 @@ module CouchRest
           raise Errors::Validations.new(document)
         end
       end
-      
+
 
     end
   end
diff --git a/lib/couchrest/model/validations/locale/en.yml b/lib/couchrest/model/validations/locale/en.yml
index 942261f..016350b 100644
--- a/lib/couchrest/model/validations/locale/en.yml
+++ b/lib/couchrest/model/validations/locale/en.yml
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 en:
   errors:
     messages:
-      taken: "is already taken"
+      taken: "has already been taken"
 
diff --git a/lib/couchrest/model/validations/uniqueness.rb b/lib/couchrest/model/validations/uniqueness.rb
index 76777c7..19335f2 100644
--- a/lib/couchrest/model/validations/uniqueness.rb
+++ b/lib/couchrest/model/validations/uniqueness.rb
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ module CouchRest
           end
           
           if docs.length > 0
-            document.errors.add(attribute, :taken, :default => options[:message], :value => value)
+            document.errors.add(attribute, :taken, options.merge(:value => value))
           end
         end
 
diff --git a/spec/couchrest/assocations_spec.rb b/spec/couchrest/assocations_spec.rb
index fe16970..36e0e5d 100644
--- a/spec/couchrest/assocations_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/couchrest/assocations_spec.rb
@@ -44,11 +44,11 @@ describe "Assocations" do
     end
 
     it "should raise error if class name does not exist" do
-      lambda {
+      lambda do
         class TestBadAssoc < CouchRest::Model::Base
           belongs_to :test_bad_item
         end
-      }.should raise_error
+      end.should raise_error(NameError, /TestBadAssoc#test_bad_item/)
     end
 
     it "should allow override of foreign key" do
diff --git a/spec/couchrest/persistence_spec.rb b/spec/couchrest/persistence_spec.rb
index 8e360d9..a502890 100644
--- a/spec/couchrest/persistence_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/couchrest/persistence_spec.rb
@@ -412,4 +412,33 @@ describe "Model Persistence" do
   end
 
 
+  describe "#reload" do
+    it "reloads defined attributes" do
+      i = Article.create!(:title => "Reload when changed")
+      i.title.should == "Reload when changed"
+
+      i.title = "..."
+      i.title.should == "..."
+
+      i.reload
+      i.title.should == "Reload when changed"
+    end
+
+    it "reloads defined attributes set to nil" do
+      i = Article.create!(:title => "Reload when nil")
+      i.title.should == "Reload when nil"
+
+      i.title = nil
+      i.title.should be_nil
+
+      i.reload
+      i.title.should == "Reload when nil"
+    end
+
+    it "returns self" do
+      i = Article.create!(:title => "Reload return self")
+      i.reload.should be(i)
+    end
+  end
+
 end
diff --git a/spec/couchrest/validations.rb b/spec/couchrest/validations_spec.rb
similarity index 97%
rename from spec/couchrest/validations.rb
rename to spec/couchrest/validations_spec.rb
index ef01df6..661e563 100644
--- a/spec/couchrest/validations.rb
+++ b/spec/couchrest/validations_spec.rb
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ describe "Validations" do
     it "should not validate a non-unique document" do
       @obj = WithUniqueValidation.create(:title => 'title 1')
       @obj.should_not be_valid
-      @obj.errors[:title].should eql(['is already taken'])
+      @obj.errors[:title].should == ["has already been taken"]
     end
 
     it "should save already created document" do
@@ -57,7 +57,6 @@ describe "Validations" do
         @obj.class.should_receive('view').and_return({'rows' => [ ]})
         @obj.valid?
       end
-
     end
  
     context "with a proxy parameter" do
@@ -76,7 +75,6 @@ describe "Validations" do
         proxy.should_receive('view').and_return({'rows' => [ ]})
         @obj.valid?
       end
-
     end