Looks like you figured it out yourself, but in case anyone else was curious, no program rips straight to mp3. There are ones that look like they do (MusicMatch for example), but they are really just hiding the .wav process. I've found programs like this are more likely to get hung up on a less than perfect CD.

If anyone has IRC, pop into #myden on Dalnet and I can help you configure EAC... it takes a few minutes to setup, but if you are walked through it, it is painless. Also, there is a good tutorial here.