need guidance from drupal initiate

[Neil_in_Chicago]

I've been involved in a drupal project which is driving me crazy.  I'm the one who has to do the things drupal doesn't do.  There seems to be a very sharp edge there.
If anyone has pointers better than simply sitting down and reading source code for a month or three, I will gratefully take whatever time you can give me.

Yes, I'm feeling frustrated.