Frustration abounds

This morning, while sitting at a Master Gardeners class taking notes, I connected to the internet via my MiFi. I have a love-hate relationship with this little thing, my fondness emotions in direction proportion to the MiFi's working status. That is to say, when it works, I love it; when it doesn't, I f'ing hate it; and when it doesn't work for no reason, I want to stomp on the fucker until it's in itty bitty tiny pieces.

Like now.

It was working, then dropped my connection. I cannot connect to the MiFi, much less check if the MiFi connects to some 3G network. I've tried rebooting the MiFi. I've removed the battery and put it back in. I've turned on and off my wireless connection on my laptop. I've plugged in the MiFi. Everything someone at tech support will ask you to do, everything that will reset each part of the connection.

The fucker won't connect.

And the whole process reminds why being frustration produces so anger.

When there is a way to solve a problem (follow these steps and the problem goes away) or a way to find a way to solve a problem (do these things, try these other things, one or more of which will produce a state from which you can figure out the rest of the problem ), then continuing working on the problem is bearable. I may not have a solution, but I know that I'll get to the solution, and that knowledge keeps me going.

When you're dealing with a black box (turn this on, and it will work), however, and there's no way to figure out why it's not working (turn this on, it will work, it doesn't work, well it should, well it doesn't), then the frustration begins.

And I hate being frustrated.

I hate the feeling of being unable to complete a task because I lack the knowledge. I hate not being able to figure out how to get the result I need. I hate that sinking feeling when I've tried everything I can and just. don't. get. it. I hate that I want to stomp around throwing things when I get frustrated when I know I really should just walk away and calm down, maybe sleep or go for a run to get a different perspective on the problem. All coping techniques I do to avoid the stomping and throwing don't really remove the frustration, only knowledge can really do that.

Learning is the best way out of the frustration.

And people wonder why I love knowledge so much.

Of course, if stupidity is defined as doing the same thing over and over and over again, expecting a different result; then frustration is defined as doing the same thing over and over and over again, expecting the same result and being relieved when you get a different one.

The mifi connected after the fourth battery removal and the second system reboot. *sigh*