Hey Mr.V, I may be the last person to give advice on making friends...but I can tell you how I found a partner and the few friends that I do have: I met my partner, now my husband, when we worked together at a college computer lab. We worked together and slowly became friends over 2 YEARS before we finally started dating. I was so wrapped up in my own head and my own misconceptions about him, that I didn't even consider him in a romantic way until he randomly gave me a wonderfully cheesy, lovey dovey mixCD declaring his love I actually freaked out and cried because it caught me so off guard and I didn't know how to handle it! But, I got over my own nonsense...and now it's 7 years later and I'm in love and married to the guy!
The friends I have now I also met in school. It took awhile, because I'm terribly shy at times and pretty unconventional for a girl (my dad has severe Asperger's and I have "mild to moderate" Asperger's characteristics) but I finally found a small circle of unconventional friends that don't judge me, and appreciate that I don't judge them. I find it especially difficult to maintain friendships with other girls, because they are so sensitive to my social missteps or some offensive action or statement I make without even knowing...I've found guys to be more forgiving and less grudge-holding...and my closest friend right now is a gay guy who has the laid-backness of a guy without the always-trying-to-get-in-my-pants problem of straight guy friends
Do you have any interest in school? Perhaps you could take, or even TA an entomology class? Do you have a job where you can share your interests with coworkers? Perhaps you should start your own Arachnofilia Club?
In my experience, for us "freaks" it takes time and effort to find the right freaky friends and partners...but they are SO worth the wait. Good luck love