"The nice thing about being a pessimist," as the old saying goes, "is that every surprise is a good one."
In our industry, it's easy to be pessimistic for any one of a hundred reason that don't need listing here.  (Disclaimer - yes, I'm a pessimist) 

Whether your glass is half empty, half full, or as one friend recently told me, broken, what is it that surprised you so far this year?
Give us your comments on what surprised you and what you learned from it.  Just maybe you can save someone else (less pessimistic) from a painful surprise.

Christopher Carboni - Handler On Duty