I'm old enough to remember when faxes seemed like magic and when "electronic mail" was an exotic and heady concept. Yup. Those days seem so long ago.

Yesterday a friend and I tried to figure out how to get her handwritten notes to me by next Monday for a project. Her scanner was broken. She didn't want to type all her notes on a new electronic file. 

What to do? What to do?

"Well, you could, um, mail it to me."

Stunned silence.

"That just might work." 

Have you noticed that apps like Angry Birds can seduce even the most "old school" among us to try their hand? And not just once or twice, but in-depth sessions where they hone their skills. I've seen former Luddites re-run the same level ten times to get that elusive high score.

It speaks to the brilliance of the game, as well as its potential to suck away your productive hours. But I also it also speak to our perception of fun.

Most people I know don't think Word or Excel are fun. In fact, many say they hate these tools more than Brussel sprouts, ice storms, or Jar-Jar Binks. And when they bring that intense hatred to the task, invariably "it" won't do what they want it to do.

Interestingly, I look at Excel and Word, and similar applications, as puzzles and fun challenges. If I see that someone else can do something I can't, I search and read and experiment until I can do it too. It's my Angry Words, if you will.

Am I a freak? Perhaps. But the next time you are cursing Word because your headers disappeared or you can't unravel the circular logic error in Excel, think about Angry Birds (or your favorite game) and how you react to setbacks in that arena. Access that part of your brain that is curious and hands-on. Stop thinking it should work the way you want it to, and start learning how it works.

There's no high score in Excel or Word, but you'll find your way to the leaderboard if you can harness that creative side when frustrated.