You won't be able to see what we're talking about from below without removing the downpipe for the most part. Like Flash stated above, pop the hood and look near the firewall on the driver's side. There should be a bracket that attaches the to the tranny. There will be a plastic sheathing that hold the cable inside that might be broken.

 

so what was the problem with the shifter?

 

Nothing. I think I may have been over reacting. It wasn't really all that difficult. I'm pretty sure it was the tranny fluid being cold, because the colder it is the harder it is to push the shifter into gears. I get no grinding, and it always engages the first time when I let off the clutch.

I'm just a little bitch. It takes effort to throw the shifter around when the tranny fluid is cold.