Thanks all for your kind words.... I'm sure there will be much excitement and frustration ahead. As to experience driving a T, just what I did yesterday

It actually went pretty smoothly - no stalls, or serious missteps. I've read a lot about technique, watched youtube, talked to drivers and the rest, absorbing as much info as I could and it seemed to work. I didn't have to think too much about what I had to do with my feet.
Over the next couple of days I'm going to pretty much stick to back roads and the local school parking lot as I practice, practice, practice.... I've read about some of the "dangers," studied T-related accident reports and the rest. I do not plan to push beyond my comfort zone.
As to the airplane comparison, I was/am a flight instructor and had to learn many types of airplanes in order to teach in them - as a result, I tend to pick up on the quirks of mechanical conveyances pretty quickly....I'm hoping this will be the case with the T but am proceeding with caution...I don't want to be a danger to anyone else.