Congrats on finding a compatible romantic partner Mark..obviously your positive attitude and not giving up had a lot to do with that! I will check out meetup, and continue trying to build my own circle of friends, no matter how remote the reality of it seems right now. There is no alternative, and I don’t want to become a bitter negative parody of myself. We do have neighbours that we talk to, but one in particular, is more a stressor than friend, with constant snappy one liners – usually mild insults masked with humour, which I could do without. Oh, I’ve also started reading the Sedona Method which emphasizes releasing of stressful emotions and feelings soon after they occur..too early to tell if it will be of help but interesting reading..have a good week ahead ..Steve