Stevo,
You WANT to have a manual. You have wanted it for some time. Now is your chance to finally get one. MANY people learn to drive manual and MANY people prefer it to an automatic for a performance car. You will get a lot of satisfaction from learning to drive a manual transmission. Just bite the bullet and DO IT!!! The worst that could happen is you decide that it just isn't for you and you trade it in for something with an automatic. Not the end of the world here.
DO IT!
-Mark.