Yep, Your're correct. I just checked WI's DOT website.

EDIT:
See what the Ford and the hyundai's stick look like

With a manual it really is a case of practice makes perfect. I know one person that drives an auto here, automatics are really rare in the UK.

Anyway keep with it, I would suspect its a lot easier to climb in an auto after learning in a manual than the other way round.

I've never suffered an aching left leg all my driving life, my car doesn't have a particularly light clutch, and I've done some distance in it.

The car will 'kangaroo' forward till the engine catches. It will also put a lot of strain on the starter motor. Don't do it. I have been known to in a rush to hold the car at biting point whilst starting it, doesn't put quite so much strain on the starter and avoids the jolting, but I don't recommend it

My first 5 cars were stick. One day I was driving my Mom's auto trans Ford Gran Torino and was accelerating away from a light. I go to "shift" into second - and my left foot planted the brake {notice the proper spelling of the word "brake"} pedal all the way to the floor! Needless to say, the people behind me were a little surprised.

Just wait until you learn motorcycles. Then you have to coordinate left hand clutch, right hand throttle and brake, left foot gear selection (remembering if you have conventional or race shift pattern), right foot rear brake. Sounds complicated, but with practice it takes no attention at all.

Massive post back there by someone, interesting read. It was dead right saying that first and second are the harder gears, they're designed to get you up to speed basically and have a much shorter ratio than third and fourth. In most cars fifth gear (and sixth) are overdrive, you put your foot down and you don't get a lot of acceleration but they'll wind out a lot further.

Just a FYI for whoever said automatics are quicker because they do all the work for you, not true. The torque converter in an auto transmission drains juice so you lose horsepower between the flywheel and the ground. Since this is most noticable lower in the rev range you can still have a quick car by using a high stall torque converter. Example, it won't engage a gear until you're doing like 3000rpm so you skip that whole section where you struggle to put power to the ground.

That is why all the serious drag racers use automatics. I had a 67 chevy II with an automatic and never lost a drag to a standard.

They do? You are lossing power, how is that better?

yes a lot of drag cars do use an auto (with a high stall converter and a quick-shift kit) but when your talking souped up small or big block chevys most manuals just can't handle the torque. (I've seen supercharged Big Block Chevys put out like 1600Hp!) if you want to use a production trany you are just about limited to old (and hard to find) 4 speeds from long ago, something from a truck (not the best for drag racing, or a t56 (very expensive, used in the viper, corvette, and mustangs) where as you can modify an auto out of an old van to work great for drag racing. Add to this that a drag race usualy lasts 6 to 15 seconds depending on how fast the cars are (not alot of time for shifting.) This isn't to say you can't build a good manual drag car just that it will cost more and be more difficult to drive. What I hate is that audi now actually has an auto that is faster/quicker then the manual; it is a computer controlled manual with 1 clutch for 1,3 & 5 and another for 2,4 & 6 it can shift faster then any human could but I still like a manual even if it's not the quickest option.

Drag racing torque converters are very highly specialized pieces of equipment. By nearly eliminating the hesitation caused by disengaging the engine from the drive (which is what a clutch does), the racer gets that time back - vital in drag racing. Clutchless upshifts (for both cars and bikes) have a technological solution - interrupting the ignition during the shift. Since this is so brief, you don't notice that the engine has actually stopped running.

I do clutchless upshifts in racing without benefit of this electronic aid by carefully matching throttle input during the upshift. This technique is for racing only! It's brutal to the shift fork, gear dogs, and clutch plates. Do not try this at home unless you're used to tearing down and rebuilding your transmission on a regular basis.

I watched one show on TV that they have to build these super powerful trucks for some big dirt road race in baja CA. They got a 700hp v8, and got an automatic trans. Is that why they used an auto?

Pretty much. A torque converter is actually a hydraulic system. Since the fluid "softens" the blow when engaging the next gear it can somewhat reduce the potential damage done. However, in the application you just named those guys routinely inspect and repair their transmissions. A 700hp 500lb/ft blow is pretty substantial regardless of what you do to "soften" it.

Autos are generally a lot tougher than manual transmissions that's true. I just know a lot of guys with very quick cars through Dads work and most of the serious guys use dog boxes from MRT. They're manual, built a lot tougher and lack the stuff that makes your family car so comfortable to drive ie. no synchro, straight-cut gears, etc. They're pretty chunky to drive but definitely get the job done as some of these guys are pulling 9 and 10 sec runs.