In a startling reversal of fate, I caught a break. Whilst driving home last night, I downshifted into 4th in anticipation of the fun 80 degree right hand turn that I love to take at 45. As I downshifted, though, I noticed that the shifter didn't notch into 4th as usual.

Upshift into 5th, hey wait, 5th isn't in the right place, nope neither is 3rd...or 1st and 2nd and 4th don't lock into place like they should.

After getting home it is discovered that the shifter cannot be manipulated into R. So, about now I'm shitting my pants (again). After what passes for a thorough inspection on my part, I discover and retrieve a C-clip that is sitting in a little nook on top of the transmission. I then call my buddy Matt and set up an appointment to stop by his house today so he can look it over. He's not confident he'll know enough to be any help, but I'm desparate.

Well, it turns out the problem simply was that clip wasn't holding the lower spring for the shifting mechanism any longer and the linkage was all verfucked. Matt pulled the spring back out and slipped the C-clip on and blamo, shifty shifty worky worky.

Things are gonna change, I can feel it.