diff --git a/app/helpers/sockets_helper.rb b/app/helpers/sockets_helper.rb
index 602856908..892c9a872 100644
--- a/app/helpers/sockets_helper.rb
+++ b/app/helpers/sockets_helper.rb
@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@ module SocketsHelper
 
     end
 
-    action_hash[:mine?] = object.person && (object.person.owner.id == uid) if object.respond_to?(:person)
+    action_hash[:mine?] = object.person && (object.person.owner_id == uid) if object.respond_to?(:person)
 
     I18n.locale = old_locale unless user.nil?
 
diff --git a/app/models/person.rb b/app/models/person.rb
index 9716a3581..bd5cb2860 100644
--- a/app/models/person.rb
+++ b/app/models/person.rb
@@ -35,20 +35,17 @@ class Person < ActiveRecord::Base
   validates_presence_of :url, :profile, :serialized_public_key
   validates_uniqueness_of :diaspora_handle, :case_sensitive => false
 
-  scope :searchable, includes(:profile).where(:profile => {:searchable => true})
+  scope :searchable, joins(:profile).where(:profiles => {:searchable => true})
 
   def self.search(query)
     return [] if query.to_s.empty?
     query_tokens = query.to_s.strip.split(" ")
-    full_query_text = Regexp.escape(query.to_s.strip)
-
     p = []
 
     query_tokens.each do |token|
-      q = Regexp.escape(token.to_s.strip)
-      p = Person.searchable.all('profile.first_name' => /^#{q}/i, 'limit' => 30) \
- | Person.searchable.all('profile.last_name' => /^#{q}/i, 'limit' => 30) \
- | Person.searchable.all('diaspora_handle' => /^#{q}/i, 'limit' => 30) \
+      p = Person.searchable.where('profiles.first_name LIKE :token', :token => token).limit(30) \
+ | Person.searchable.where('profiles.last_name LIKE :token', :token => token).limit(30) \
+ | Person.searchable.where('profiles.diaspora_handle LIKE :token', :token => token).limit(30) \
  | p
     end
 
diff --git a/app/models/post.rb b/app/models/post.rb
index 659639272..51e76b760 100644
--- a/app/models/post.rb
+++ b/app/models/post.rb
@@ -25,7 +25,9 @@ class Post < ActiveRecord::Base
   before_destroy :propogate_retraction
   after_destroy :destroy_comments
 
-  attr_accessible :user_refs
+  def user_refs
+    self.post_visibilities.count
+  end
 
   def self.diaspora_initialize params
     new_post = self.new params.to_hash
@@ -52,15 +54,6 @@ class Post < ActiveRecord::Base
     false
   end
 
-  def decrement_user_refs
-    user_refs -= 1
-    if (user_refs > 0) || person.owner.nil? == false
-      save
-    else
-      destroy
-    end
-  end
-
   protected
   def destroy_comments
     comments.each { |c| c.destroy }
diff --git a/app/models/profile.rb b/app/models/profile.rb
index 04f266cc0..1af925587 100644
--- a/app/models/profile.rb
+++ b/app/models/profile.rb
@@ -24,8 +24,8 @@ class Profile < ActiveRecord::Base
   validates_length_of :first_name, :maximum => 32
   validates_length_of :last_name,  :maximum => 32
 
-#  attr_accessible :first_name, :last_name, :image_url, :image_url_medium,
-#    :image_url_small, :birthday, :gender, :bio, :searchable, :date
+  attr_accessible :first_name, :last_name, :image_url, :image_url_medium,
+    :image_url_small, :birthday, :gender, :bio, :searchable, :date
 
   belongs_to :person
 
diff --git a/app/models/user.rb b/app/models/user.rb
index 201cb6813..73c273530 100644
--- a/app/models/user.rb
+++ b/app/models/user.rb
@@ -263,11 +263,11 @@ class User < ActiveRecord::Base
 
   ########### Profile ######################
   def update_profile(params)
-    if params[:photo]
-      params[:photo].update_attributes(:pending => false) if params[:photo].pending
-      params[:image_url] = params[:photo].url(:thumb_large)
-      params[:image_url_medium] = params[:photo].url(:thumb_medium)
-      params[:image_url_small] = params[:photo].url(:thumb_small)
+    if photo = params.delete(:photo)
+      photo.update_attributes(:pending => false) if photo.pending
+      params[:image_url] = photo.url(:thumb_large)
+      params[:image_url_medium] = photo.url(:thumb_medium)
+      params[:image_url_small] = photo.url(:thumb_small)
     end
     if self.person.profile.update_attributes(params)
       push_to_people profile, contacts.includes(:person).where(:pending => false).map{|c| c.person}
diff --git a/db/migrate/0000_create_schema.rb b/db/migrate/0000_create_schema.rb
index 3daa23116..47207989c 100644
--- a/db/migrate/0000_create_schema.rb
+++ b/db/migrate/0000_create_schema.rb
@@ -76,7 +76,6 @@ class CreateSchema < ActiveRecord::Migration
       t.string :diaspora_handle
       t.string :guid
       t.boolean :pending, :default => false
-      t.integer :user_refs, :default => 0
       t.string :type
 
       t.text :message
diff --git a/lib/diaspora/user/querying.rb b/lib/diaspora/user/querying.rb
index 5ff961fc3..01744703b 100644
--- a/lib/diaspora/user/querying.rb
+++ b/lib/diaspora/user/querying.rb
@@ -62,7 +62,8 @@ module Diaspora
       end
 
       def request_from(person)
-        Request.where(:sender_id => person.id, :recipient_id => self.person.id).first
+        Request.where(:sender_id => person.id,
+                      :recipient_id => self.person.id).first
       end
 
       def posts_from(person)
diff --git a/spec/models/comment_spec.rb b/spec/models/comment_spec.rb
index 2155c984b..b54f31a9b 100644
--- a/spec/models/comment_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/models/comment_spec.rb
@@ -135,9 +135,8 @@ describe Comment do
     end
 
     it 'should send a comment a user made on your post to all people' do
-      comment = user2.comment( "balls", :on => @user_status)
       MessageHandler.should_receive(:add_post_request).once
-      user.receive comment.to_diaspora_xml, user2.person
+      comment = user2.comment( "balls", :on => @user_status)
     end
 
     context 'posts from a remote person' do
diff --git a/spec/models/person_spec.rb b/spec/models/person_spec.rb
index 9a1f9ac98..f0151e42d 100644
--- a/spec/models/person_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/models/person_spec.rb
@@ -193,7 +193,7 @@ describe Person do
     end
 
     it 'should only display searchable people' do
-      invisible_person = Factory(:person, :profile => {:searchable => false, :first_name => "johnson"})
+      invisible_person = Factory(:person, :profile => Factory(:profile,:searchable => false, :first_name => "johnson"))
       Person.search("johnson").should_not include invisible_person
       Person.search("").should_not include invisible_person
     end
diff --git a/spec/models/post_spec.rb b/spec/models/post_spec.rb
index 37d4433cf..f34d61f72 100644
--- a/spec/models/post_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/models/post_spec.rb
@@ -36,15 +36,4 @@ describe Post do
       post.mutable?.should == false
     end
   end
-
-  describe '#decrement_user_refs' do
-    before do
-      @post = @user.post :status_message, :message => "hello", :to => @aspect.id
-    end
-    it 'decrements user_refs' do
-      lambda {
-        @post.decrement_user_refs
-      }.should change(@post, :user_refs).by(-1)
-    end
-  end
 end
diff --git a/spec/models/user/connecting_spec.rb b/spec/models/user/connecting_spec.rb
index 7c3b955bb..b7e22850d 100644
--- a/spec/models/user/connecting_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/models/user/connecting_spec.rb
@@ -43,6 +43,10 @@ describe Diaspora::UserModules::Connecting do
         user.send_contact_request_to(user2.person, aspect1)
       }.should_not change{Request.where(:recipient_id => user.person.id).count}
     end
+    it 'persists a request for the recipient' do
+      user.send_contact_request_to(user2.person, aspect1)
+      user2.request_from(user.person).should_not be_nil
+    end
   end
 
   context 'contact requesting' do
diff --git a/spec/models/user/querying_spec.rb b/spec/models/user/querying_spec.rb
index 50d7f1ee2..95150482d 100644
--- a/spec/models/user/querying_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/models/user/querying_spec.rb
@@ -206,7 +206,7 @@ describe User do
 
     it 'should have a pending request after sending a request' do
       @user.send_contact_request_to(user5.person, @user.aspects.first)
-      request = @user.reload.request_from(user5.person)
+      request = user5.request_from(@user.person)
       request.should_not be_nil
     end
   end
diff --git a/spec/models/user/receive_spec.rb b/spec/models/user/receive_spec.rb
index f950a331f..c0cd550f2 100644
--- a/spec/models/user/receive_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/models/user/receive_spec.rb
@@ -99,8 +99,6 @@ describe User do
       person = user2.person
       person.owner_id = nil
       person.save
-      @status_message.user_refs = 1
-      @status_message.save
 
       lambda {
         user.disconnected_by(user2.person)
@@ -109,23 +107,23 @@ describe User do
 
     it 'should keep track of user references for one person ' do
       @status_message.reload
-      @status_message.user_refs.should == 1
+      @status_message.user_refs.should == 2
 
       user.disconnect(user2.person)
       @status_message.reload
-      @status_message.user_refs.should == 0
+      @status_message.user_refs.should == 1
     end
 
     it 'should not override userrefs on receive by another person' do
       user3.activate_contact(user2.person, aspect3)
       user3.receive @status_message.to_diaspora_xml, user2.person
 
-      @status_message.reload
-      @status_message.user_refs.should == 2
+      @status_message.post_visibilities.reset
+      @status_message.user_refs.should == 3
 
       user.disconnect(user2.person)
-      @status_message.reload
-      @status_message.user_refs.should == 1
+      @status_message.post_visibilities.reset
+      @status_message.user_refs.should == 2
     end
   end