I guess the answer is "dream on" but - online "chat" with people who understand autism?

I'd like to do much the same F2F. Why? Because looking back on some people I used to hang out with 1,000s of Kms away, back in the UK, it is now absolutely blindingly obvious that quite a few of them must now be diagnosed, self-identified or still unaware. It is what we used to talk about that makes it now so obvious. I'd like to know how they are still dealing with it. I imagine that it would be quite positively in most cases. I would enjoy some constructive and cheerful interaction with people i used to quite joyfully shoot the breeze with. But actually, it wouldn't have to be in the UK, and it wouldn't have to be just people I used to know. It's not at all possible in my present locale.

I can roughly guess ( but with no real evidence) why there are no obvious known ND adults on the streets here, but reckon I would just make myself a 'vulnerable' expat by even hinting at the reasons. (Stuff does get read by the powers-that-be here; often by people with limited understanding of the rest of the World.) Caution is very necessary, so I deliberately try and refrain from saying where I am on forums. In any case, no one else here wants to talk about it, even in strict confidence.

Good site this, though! :-) I find Wrong Planet a bit too West Coast for my liking. Might get around to looking at 7cups.com though.

But that's where the laptop comes in - you use the work as an excuse to reject advances from the wrong people - within a couple of visits, you can train the undesirables to leave you alone.  

You're also in total control - you can get up and walk away whenever you want.

Yes there is, but it's hugely clattery/noisy and I'm not sure that the right (wrong) people would leave me alone :-)

Ooooo never heard of 7cups - will have a look, thanks.

you could open a free account with 7cups.com  I used to be a volunteer there and i cant remember if  they have specalists in autism but you can talk instantly with Listeners ( via IM ) who pick you by the description you put on what  u want to chat about  eg relationships ... I guess you would put autism/quick chat.

How burned out are in the evenings?    Can you be bothered with external socialising?    Joining a nerd-club or doing a Meetup?

Sort of - you basically want to hand-select the people around you and get rid of all the others 

Do you have a tea room at your place?   Or a restaurant?   I always found excuses to take a laptop into one of those places at the right times so I would be in full view - people who knew me would pass a few minutes with me - but had to be one their way quickly so it's a time-limited interaction.   In could get a social 'fix' and then disappear back into an office or plantroom and be on my own for as long as I wanted.

It's a bit unrealistic really - what I really want is people around but being quiet, or occasionally chatting about general life stuff. What I'd really like is to work in an office with about a dozen people in it - whereas I've gone from  a massive, noisy, open plan area with about 200 people to a tiny space with one other very noisy person (thankfully leaving very soon). So I want people there (though I'm fussy about the demographic & personality type) but not placing demands on me. I said it was unrealistic didn't I? :-)

What kind of social interaction do you really want?

While you still have to work, you still have to play someone else's game.   You are forced to wear the mask and modify your natural urges.    The difficulty you face is being kind to yourself everywhere else.   But life will always find a way to demand things that you don't really want to give of yourself.

Bladerunner quote - JF Sebastian - on his ascension to see God (Tyrell) with Roy Batty, the lift stops and Tyrell asks him what would he like to talk about.

Indeed it is but it's almost never instant (unless you or one or two others are around :-) ).

See it's almost like the moment has already passed, but what I wanted to talk over was in my other post today. Two months after diagnosis, winter approaching (I have SAD too) and I almost feel split into two people - my old self who didn't know he is autistic and the new one who understands, and I'm trying to cut myself some slack. I'm also dealing with an ironic situation at work where I've moved from a very busy office to a tiny one of my own, which sounds wonderful (and often is) but means that what residue of social skills and appetite I had is evaporating, and my self-esteem is suffering (as a result of all of this).

What's JF by the way?

Isn't that what this place is?

What would you like to talk about JF?