learning to drive a stick...what car did you learn on.

First time i drove stick, a buddy in college said his car was making a strange noise- could i check it out? So not thinking i grab the keys and walk out to his VW Bug. Yep, its a stick. So i go back in and tell him i never drove one. I knew how it worked, just never tried. So he tells me go ahead, i asked him could he at least tell me the pattern, since it was not on the shifter. Got in and drove like i knew what i was doing.
I did not do as well on my second encounter with a manual. I got a job with a furniture restoration place near Scranton PA. Boss asked me to drive the van with a load in the back. For anyone not familiar Scranton the roads are like a roller coaster of hills. Plus it had snowed the night before. I did OK till I had a stop sign going uphill on an icy road....
I finally really learned when i bought a Pinto as a DD.