Hi Shari,
I think if you found something you continued, then the people would be there, retired, or occupied. It's the logistics that need to be settled, and people are off being "busy". Taking courses allows me to meet people, but whether we wish to be friends is the question, not their status.
I do feel that time crunch though, so when the course is over, I leave. What's hard, as I mentioned, is commiting to something for a period of time, since my activities can hijack my life.
I meant to place the quote below at the "quote of the day". His quote does relate to relationships, since they take nurturing at regular intervals, so I always look for an activity which lasts at least 4 weeks, and is the same time. Needing a lot of distance because of my negative work experience, I just find it difficult to trust anymore.