Have you tried meetup.com? Lots of interests there, and people who enjoy certain activities meet up to do them. I'm going to check it out in my area. MMan, maybe you know some specifically geeky ones.
MMan, it was good of your W to apologize for her insensitivity. It's easy for everyone to get wrapped up in their own stuff and hard to see from the other's perspective. The LBS often feels like they have the trump hurt card, but I think it's useful to remember that the WAS must be in some serious pain/conflict to leave---few run away with a smile on their face. Helps me empathize, anyway.
Sounds like you did well with the visit, hard as it must have been. Doesn't sound dorky at all, by the way. Keep hugging the cat---good for you, if awful for the cat. : ) The small things add up to a lot.
