frustration

Having dated a gamer for a number of years, I have recently started to foray into hardcore geekdom. I dabble in Magic: The Gathering, and I play a fighter in a small D&D that my man runs. Besides discovering that he doesn't pull any punches with me ("Ouch, the Griffen did what?!?!") I have developed a pretty good sense of strategy, for a beginner. What drives me crazy about starting D&D is simply that, being a beginner. Everyone else has experience with long-term RPGs or D&D itself (one of the other players has been playing since elementary school).