diff --git a/.rspec b/.rspec
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..83e2753
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.rspec
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+--format documentation
+--colour
diff --git a/Rakefile b/Rakefile
index 6c39ead..7bb616b 100644
--- a/Rakefile
+++ b/Rakefile
@@ -1,49 +1,5 @@
 # encoding: UTF-8
-begin
-  require 'rubygems'
-  require 'jeweler'
-  JEWELER = Jeweler::Tasks.new do |gem|
-    gem.name = "mysql2"
-    gem.summary = "A simple, fast Mysql library for Ruby, binding to libmysql"
-    gem.email = "seniorlopez@gmail.com"
-    gem.homepage = "http://github.com/brianmario/mysql2"
-    gem.authors = ["Brian Lopez"]
-    gem.require_paths = ["lib", "ext"]
-    gem.extra_rdoc_files = `git ls-files *.rdoc`.split("\n")
-    gem.files = `git ls-files`.split("\n")
-    gem.extensions = ["ext/mysql2/extconf.rb"]
-    gem.files.include %w(lib/jeweler/templates/.document lib/jeweler/templates/.gitignore)
-    # gem.rubyforge_project = "mysql2"
-  end
-rescue LoadError
-  puts "Jeweler, or one of its dependencies, is not available. Install it with: sudo gem install jeweler -s http://gems.github.com"
-end
-
 require 'rake'
-require 'spec/rake/spectask'
-
-desc "Run all examples with RCov"
-Spec::Rake::SpecTask.new('spec:rcov') do |t|
-  t.spec_files = FileList['spec/']
-  t.rcov = true
-  t.rcov_opts = lambda do
-    IO.readlines("spec/rcov.opts").map {|l| l.chomp.split " "}.flatten
-  end
-end
-Spec::Rake::SpecTask.new('spec') do |t|
-  t.spec_files = FileList['spec/']
-  t.spec_opts << '--options' << 'spec/spec.opts'
-  t.verbose = true
-  t.warning = true
-end
-
-Spec::Rake::SpecTask.new('spec:gdb') do |t|
-  t.spec_files = FileList['spec/']
-  t.spec_opts << '--options' << 'spec/spec.opts'
-  t.ruby_cmd = "gdb --args #{RUBY}"
-end
-
-task :default => :spec
 
 # Load custom tasks
 Dir['tasks/*.rake'].sort.each { |f| load f }
diff --git a/benchmark/thread_alone.rb b/benchmark/thread_alone.rb
deleted file mode 100644
index c6b4c1e..0000000
--- a/benchmark/thread_alone.rb
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,20 +0,0 @@
-# encoding: UTF-8
-$LOAD_PATH.unshift File.expand_path(File.dirname(__FILE__) + '/../lib')
-
-require 'rubygems'
-require 'benchmark'
-require 'mysql2'
-
-iterations = 1000
-client = Mysql2::Client.new(:host => "localhost", :username => "root", :database => "test")
-query = lambda{ iterations.times{ client.query("SELECT mysql2_test.* FROM mysql2_test") } }
-Benchmark.bmbm do |x|
-  x.report('select') do
-    query.call
-  end
-  x.report('rb_thread_select') do
-    thread = Thread.new{ sleep(10) }
-    query.call
-    thread.kill
-  end
-end
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/ext/mysql2/client.c b/ext/mysql2/client.c
index 03d02e5..6079e81 100644
--- a/ext/mysql2/client.c
+++ b/ext/mysql2/client.c
@@ -104,62 +104,56 @@ static VALUE nogvl_connect(void *ptr) {
   return client ? Qtrue : Qfalse;
 }
 
-static void rb_mysql_client_free(void * ptr) {
-  mysql_client_wrapper *wrapper = (mysql_client_wrapper *)ptr;
-
-  /*
-   * we'll send a QUIT message to the server, but that message is more of a
-   * formality than a hard requirement since the socket is getting shutdown
-   * anyways, so ensure the socket write does not block our interpreter
-   */
-  int fd = wrapper->client->net.fd;
-
-  if (fd >= 0) {
-    /*
-     * if the socket is dead we have no chance of blocking,
-     * so ignore any potential fcntl errors since they don't matter
-     */
-#ifndef _WIN32
-    int flags = fcntl(fd, F_GETFL);
-    if (flags > 0 && !(flags & O_NONBLOCK))
-      fcntl(fd, F_SETFL, flags | O_NONBLOCK);
-#else
-    u_long iMode = 1;
-    ioctlsocket(fd, FIONBIO, &iMode);
-#endif
-  }
-
-  /* It's safe to call mysql_close() on an already closed connection. */
-  if (!wrapper->closed) {
-    mysql_close(wrapper->client);
-    if (!wrapper->freed) {
-      free(wrapper->client);
-    }
-  }
-  xfree(ptr);
-}
-
-static VALUE nogvl_close(void * ptr) {
+static VALUE nogvl_close(void *ptr) {
   mysql_client_wrapper *wrapper = ptr;
   if (!wrapper->closed) {
     wrapper->closed = 1;
+
+    /*
+     * we'll send a QUIT message to the server, but that message is more of a
+     * formality than a hard requirement since the socket is getting shutdown
+     * anyways, so ensure the socket write does not block our interpreter
+     */
+    int fd = wrapper->client->net.fd;
+
+    if (fd >= 0) {
+      /*
+       * if the socket is dead we have no chance of blocking,
+       * so ignore any potential fcntl errors since they don't matter
+       */
+  #ifndef _WIN32
+      int flags = fcntl(fd, F_GETFL);
+      if (flags > 0 && !(flags & O_NONBLOCK))
+        fcntl(fd, F_SETFL, flags | O_NONBLOCK);
+  #else
+      u_long iMode = 1;
+      ioctlsocket(fd, FIONBIO, &iMode);
+  #endif
+    }
+
     mysql_close(wrapper->client);
     wrapper->client->net.fd = -1;
-    if (!wrapper->freed) {
-      free(wrapper->client);
-    }
+    free(wrapper->client);
   }
+
   return Qnil;
 }
 
+static void rb_mysql_client_free(void * ptr) {
+  mysql_client_wrapper *wrapper = (mysql_client_wrapper *)ptr;
+
+  nogvl_close(wrapper);
+
+  xfree(ptr);
+}
+
 static VALUE allocate(VALUE klass) {
   VALUE obj;
   mysql_client_wrapper * wrapper;
   obj = Data_Make_Struct(klass, mysql_client_wrapper, rb_mysql_client_mark, rb_mysql_client_free, wrapper);
   wrapper->encoding = Qnil;
   wrapper->active = 0;
-  wrapper->closed = 0;
-  wrapper->freed  = 0;
+  wrapper->closed = 1;
   wrapper->client = (MYSQL*)malloc(sizeof(MYSQL));
   return obj;
 }
@@ -523,6 +517,7 @@ static VALUE init_connection(VALUE self) {
     return rb_raise_mysql2_error(wrapper->client);
   }
 
+  wrapper->closed = 0;
   return self;
 }
 
diff --git a/ext/mysql2/client.h b/ext/mysql2/client.h
index fca99c4..d5c2993 100644
--- a/ext/mysql2/client.h
+++ b/ext/mysql2/client.h
@@ -35,7 +35,6 @@ typedef struct {
   VALUE encoding;
   short int active;
   short int closed;
-  short int freed;
   MYSQL *client;
 } mysql_client_wrapper;
 
diff --git a/spec/em/em_spec.rb b/spec/em/em_spec.rb
index 1254c4c..429acf1 100644
--- a/spec/em/em_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/em/em_spec.rb
@@ -1,45 +1,49 @@
 # encoding: UTF-8
-require 'spec_helper'
-require 'mysql2/em'
+if defined? EventMachine
+  require 'spec_helper'
+  require 'mysql2/em'
 
-describe Mysql2::EM::Client do
-  it "should support async queries" do
-    results = []
-    EM.run do
-      client1 = Mysql2::EM::Client.new
-      defer1 = client1.query "SELECT sleep(0.1) as first_query"
-      defer1.callback do |result|
-        results << result.first
-        EM.stop_event_loop
-      end
-
-      client2 = Mysql2::EM::Client.new
-      defer2 = client2.query "SELECT sleep(0.025) second_query"
-      defer2.callback do |result|
-        results << result.first
-      end
-    end
-
-    results[0].keys.should include("second_query")
-    results[1].keys.should include("first_query")
-  end
-
-  it "should support queries in callbacks" do
-    results = []
-    EM.run do
-      client = Mysql2::EM::Client.new
-      defer1 = client.query "SELECT sleep(0.025) as first_query"
-      defer1.callback do |result|
-        results << result.first
-        defer2 = client.query "SELECT sleep(0.025) as second_query"
-        defer2.callback do |result|
+  describe Mysql2::EM::Client do
+    it "should support async queries" do
+      results = []
+      EM.run do
+        client1 = Mysql2::EM::Client.new
+        defer1 = client1.query "SELECT sleep(0.1) as first_query"
+        defer1.callback do |result|
           results << result.first
           EM.stop_event_loop
         end
+
+        client2 = Mysql2::EM::Client.new
+        defer2 = client2.query "SELECT sleep(0.025) second_query"
+        defer2.callback do |result|
+          results << result.first
+        end
       end
+
+      results[0].keys.should include("second_query")
+      results[1].keys.should include("first_query")
     end
 
-    results[0].keys.should include("first_query")
-    results[1].keys.should include("second_query")
+    it "should support queries in callbacks" do
+      results = []
+      EM.run do
+        client = Mysql2::EM::Client.new
+        defer1 = client.query "SELECT sleep(0.025) as first_query"
+        defer1.callback do |result|
+          results << result.first
+          defer2 = client.query "SELECT sleep(0.025) as second_query"
+          defer2.callback do |result|
+            results << result.first
+            EM.stop_event_loop
+          end
+        end
+      end
+
+      results[0].keys.should include("first_query")
+      results[1].keys.should include("second_query")
+    end
   end
-end
+else
+  puts "EventMachine not installed, skipping the specs that use it"
+end
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/spec/spec.opts b/spec/spec.opts
deleted file mode 100644
index e0f74bb..0000000
--- a/spec/spec.opts
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,2 +0,0 @@
---format specdoc
---colour
diff --git a/spec/spec_helper.rb b/spec/spec_helper.rb
index 39da1e4..a0e5770 100644
--- a/spec/spec_helper.rb
+++ b/spec/spec_helper.rb
@@ -1,10 +1,11 @@
 # encoding: UTF-8
 
-require 'rubygems'
+$LOAD_PATH.unshift File.expand_path("../../lib", __FILE__)
+require 'rspec'
 require 'mysql2'
 require 'timeout'
 
-Spec::Runner.configure do |config|
+RSpec.configure do |config|
   config.before(:all) do
     client = Mysql2::Client.new :database => 'test'
     client.query %[
diff --git a/tasks/jeweler.rake b/tasks/jeweler.rake
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e04979c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tasks/jeweler.rake
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+begin
+  require 'jeweler'
+  JEWELER = Jeweler::Tasks.new do |gem|
+    gem.name = "mysql2"
+    gem.summary = "A simple, fast Mysql library for Ruby, binding to libmysql"
+    gem.email = "seniorlopez@gmail.com"
+    gem.homepage = "http://github.com/brianmario/mysql2"
+    gem.authors = ["Brian Lopez"]
+    gem.require_paths = ["lib", "ext"]
+    gem.extra_rdoc_files = `git ls-files *.rdoc`.split("\n")
+    gem.files = `git ls-files`.split("\n")
+    gem.extensions = ["ext/mysql2/extconf.rb"]
+    gem.files.include %w(lib/jeweler/templates/.document lib/jeweler/templates/.gitignore)
+  end
+rescue LoadError
+  puts "jeweler, or one of its dependencies, is not available. Install it with: sudo gem install jeweler"
+end
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/tasks/rspec.rake b/tasks/rspec.rake
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a6628e8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tasks/rspec.rake
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+begin
+  require 'rspec'
+  require 'rspec/core/rake_task'
+
+  desc "Run all examples with RCov"
+  RSpec::Core::RakeTask.new('spec:rcov') do |t|
+    t.rcov = true
+  end
+  RSpec::Core::RakeTask.new('spec') do |t|
+    t.verbose = true
+  end
+
+  task :default => :spec
+rescue LoadError
+  puts "rspec, or one of its dependencies, is not available. Install it with: sudo gem install rspec"
+end
\ No newline at end of file