I think there will be people who judge you for an automatic (I am one as well). But I also think those times are a'changin' as we move forward.
Then again, that's part of figuring out who the douchbags are and who the real car enthusiasts are who really don't care what *you* choose as long as you like it and everyone appreciates the hobby/lifestyle. I can control the gears/experience just about as well as a manual driver, and I don't need to be bothered with rowing downward. I think that's really what matters: whether you can keep the rpms where you'd like them. A full-on auto I would probably judge just by saying you're not getting much control/fun out of the car....though admittedly they'd be getting better mpg probably.
On topic, I have a bad habit from driving my auto '03 eclipse. It would shift just a little speedier if I let up about halfway off the throttle during a shift (I was blessed with sport shifting 10 years ago). It might also subconsciously be a "I'm-hiding-that-I'm-auto" thing.
I admit, I did get used to the rocking sensation of the power being re-applied. It's less useful/obvious in the Z, especially since it's 7 gears instead of 4, and the first 2 are pretty quick.
Oh, and I'm sorry I passed you while you were changing gears.
