If you had managed your expectations differently, would it help?
I think that 'Oh, that's nice, they did take the time to reply' sounds nice, but it's a prestigious journal, after all!
I guess you could see that as in a computer game - you can see three levels above, but you cannot go there, yet.
"Impediment to action advances the action. What stands in the way, becomes the way."
I believe that's true, but believing it is not (yet) living it.
Thanks for the nice thought-provoking piece!