To the OP: When I first joined this forum, my first post was a long one. It detailed my experience driving manual transmission vehicles most of my life. It was all directed at new Camaro owners who were driving a stick for the first time.
Decent read for first time Manual drivers
Read that thread for some solid tips. Many tried to argue the logic in my explanation about the "second balance". They obviously never drove on some of the mountains and towns in West Virginia, because it is a necessity at times! Just make sure you master everything I describe in that thread and you'll be off to a great start and prepared for almost anything. Good luck, and please feel free to PM me if you have any questions!