Please help! My tranny shifts hard from park to drive and from 1st to second about 90% of the time. All other shifts are normal. I've owned the car for two months and it has not gotten any worse - is it safe to assume this is not a major problem and maybe just an adjustment?

Check to see if your trans has a vacuum modulator. If it does make sure you have good vacuum. If there is no vacuum present your trans thinks the engine is under load and will provide a firm shift no matter what the actual driving condition is.