celebration

I learned today that I am runner-up for the fairly prestigious W.W. Norton Scholar's Prize, so I have netted no small amount of prize money. I called friends with whom I could celebrate, and while I took comfort that the list felt longer than I thought it would be, no one was available. A striking majority were in such far-flung places as Bakersfield, Newport, Reno, and Arizona. And the rest didn't answer their phones. A shame, since dinner would have been on me.