diff --git a/MySQLdb/MySQLdb/__init__.py b/MySQLdb/MySQLdb/__init__.py
index c89dad0..075d23f 100644
--- a/MySQLdb/MySQLdb/__init__.py
+++ b/MySQLdb/MySQLdb/__init__.py
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ version_info = (
     2,
     1,
     "gamma",
-    1)
+    2)
 if version_info[3] == "final": __version__ = "%d.%d.%d" % version_info[:3]
 else: __version__ = "%d.%d.%d%1.1s%d" % version_info[:5]
 
diff --git a/MySQLdb/MySQLdb/connections.py b/MySQLdb/MySQLdb/connections.py
index 3989e47..0c1304a 100644
--- a/MySQLdb/MySQLdb/connections.py
+++ b/MySQLdb/MySQLdb/connections.py
@@ -116,10 +116,10 @@ class Connection(_mysql.connection):
         from constants import CLIENT, FIELD_TYPE
         from converters import conversions
         import types
-        from weakref import proxy
+
         kwargs2 = kwargs.copy()
         if kwargs.has_key('conv'):
-            kwargs2['conv'] = conv = kwargs['conv']
+            kwargs2['conv'] = conv = kwargs['conv'].copy()
         else:
             kwargs2['conv'] = conv = conversions.copy()
         if kwargs.has_key('cursorclass'):
@@ -136,16 +136,16 @@ class Connection(_mysql.connection):
         self.charset = self.character_set_name().split('_')[0]
 
         if use_unicode:
-            def u(s, self=proxy(self)):
+            def u(s):
                 return s.decode(self.charset)
             conv[FIELD_TYPE.STRING] = u
             conv[FIELD_TYPE.VAR_STRING] = u
             conv[FIELD_TYPE.BLOB].insert(-1, (None, u))
 
-        def string_literal(obj, dummy=None, self=proxy(self)):
+        def string_literal(obj, dummy=None):
             return self.string_literal(obj)
         
-        def unicode_literal(u, dummy=None, self=proxy(self)):
+        def unicode_literal(u, dummy=None):
             return self.literal(u.encode(self.charset))
          
         self.converter[types.StringType] = string_literal
diff --git a/MySQLdb/_mysql.c b/MySQLdb/_mysql.c
index 107f11b..766dd79 100644
--- a/MySQLdb/_mysql.c
+++ b/MySQLdb/_mysql.c
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
-#define version_info "(1,2,1,'gamma',1)"
-#define __version__ "1.2.1c1"
+#define version_info "(1,2,1,'gamma',2)"
+#define __version__ "1.2.1c2"
 /*
 This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify
 it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
diff --git a/MySQLdb/setup.py b/MySQLdb/setup.py
index b0230f4..7272e06 100644
--- a/MySQLdb/setup.py
+++ b/MySQLdb/setup.py
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ embedded_server = (mysqlclient == 'mysqld')
 name = "MySQL-%s" % os.path.basename(sys.executable)
 if embedded_server:
     name = name + "-embedded"
-version = "1.2.1c1"
+version = "1.2.1c2"
 
 extra_objects = []
 
@@ -67,11 +67,6 @@ else:
         if f.close(): data = []
         return data
 
-    def stripquotes(s):
-        if s[0] in ("'", '"') and s[0] == s[-1]:
-            return s[1:-1]
-        return s
-    
     include_dirs = [ i[2:] for i in config('include') if i.startswith('-i') ]
 
     if mysqlclient == "mysqlclient":
@@ -80,8 +75,8 @@ else:
         libs = config("libs_r")
     elif mysqlclient == "mysqld":
         libs = config("embedded")
-    library_dirs = [ stripquotes(i[2:]) for i in libs if i.startswith("-L") ]
-    libraries = [ stripquotes(i[2:]) for i in libs if i.startswith("-l") ]
+    library_dirs = [ i[2:] for i in libs if i.startswith("-L") ]
+    libraries = [ i[2:] for i in libs if i.startswith("-l") ]
 
     # Workaround for a pre-4.1.9 bug
     if "z" not in libraries:
@@ -95,9 +90,6 @@ else:
     else:
         libraries.append(mysqlclient)
 
-# avoid frightening noobs with warnings about missing directories
-include_dirs = [ d for d in include_dirs if os.path.isdir(d) ]
-library_dirs = [ d for d in library_dirs if os.path.isdir(d) ]
 
 classifiers = """
 Development Status :: 5 - Production/Stable