Help! Shifting Woes only 3rd and 4th work!

[Joshua C]

Today I decided to do some shopping, first thing I notice is that it takes a 
few tries to get into reverse...and I think it's odd, but it gets there so 
maybe it was just me... everything else shifting wise is fine, action seems 
ok, no grinding...nothing out of the ordinary to me.   Then next thing, 
first and second gear are inoperational, I got it in once, then headed 
straight home in 3rd.   So the only gears that are accesable are third and 
fourth.  No reverse, I assume no fifth ( I didn't really want to head to the 
highway in this condition just to test fifth), no first or second.   I pryed 
up the boot and removed the knob...having never done that before nothing 
looks obviously broken in there ( although there could be worn parts...but 
again not seeing it when it was operational....).  There is a lot of black 
rubber dust from the degrading boot in the mechanism, but I don' suspect 
this as a culprit.  Tommorow morning my brother and I will be trying to 
diagnose the problem...by watching under the car at the selector rod 
connections etc..
Does this problem sound familiar to anyone?    Any ideas?  Please let me 
know.
thanks-Josh

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