Hawkeye,
Welcome and congrats. . .it feels great doesn't it?
I just got my first Viper a few weeks ago.
My baby is a stunning black 95 RT10.
First of all, this forum is outstanding- I will probably loose my job because I spend so much time in here.
I think I can give a fresh perspective on your questions since I am new to "the club" as well; here goes. . .]
1. Get used to all the clowns trying to needle you on the streets. You both know who has the alpha car; depending on your personality and budget(and once you break it in) you can either show them up or smile out loud as they drive away knowing they wish they were you. I prefer the latter and my most common culprit of this are these clowns in their "souped-up" Camaros. PLEAZ!
2. There have been several threads on this subject. I am like you about leaving it out of my site. Here is my take: I will only leave it somewhere where "I" valet the car to the spot and the kid gets tipped to watch it and I keep the keys. However, I believe most people just are in awe of these cars and prefer to spectate rather than F with your car; it just depends upon your "part of town" and whether you have a psycho ex-girlfriend with a set of keys!
3. If you're not comfortable with attention, you bought the wrong car (should have bought a vette). I usually just say "thank you" or give a smile and a wave.
4. The 1st to 4th mechanism is an "environmental" measure taken to reduce the amount of . . .blah, blah, blah. Anyway, if it bothers you that much, there is a method described in the modifications section of this website that explains how to do it. I usually just push the RPM's in first to skip it off. Then 2nd is no problem.
5. This website is car lingo 101 ; read,read,read. By the way, Corsa is a header/exhaust manufacturer and ripper refers to people who unlawfully download Metallica songs from the internet
(actually type of quick shifter upgrade)
6. Listen, I was scared to death the first time I drove my Snake and now I feel like "one with the car". Just keep driving; you will get used to it. As for driving schools, they can be fun, informative, and a great way to get aggressive driving experience. It depends upon your objectives, but I don't think it is necessary to get the most from your Viper. . .just keep driving.
Lastly, the grin is definitely normal. . .everytime my garage door goes up. He!!, just thinkin' about my baby gets me excited. . .I shift gears in my sleep! (Guys, I'm a newbie too, please refrain from hitting the slow hanging curve I just threw)
Hope this helps.