dag, that sucks. well, turns out i was stuck in some stop-and-go traffic on the way home from classes today and got bored just sittin there. i looked over at my shifter and was like, 'eh, screw it. here goes...' and pulled down on the boot. it made a 'pop' sound and came right off w/ the two tabs you guys spoke of. i was like 'sweeeet' and tightened that baby up and clipped it back on. so, overall it was a huge success. thanks guys!!

but now im like hmm, should i get a new shift knob...? >:]