I dislike friends being late. It's an issue for me, but I would consider less than 15 minutes to be ok .
I was in a similar state about meeting people as you describe, but lately I've become less sad about it all. I understand that I'm looking for something special in a close friend, and I find that rarely. I also understand that some of the qualities that I search for in a close friend are strengths that I need to work on for myself. I love people who reflect those special qualities, but I feel inside that depending on them for that isn't correct. Usually they have other people - husband, kids - who depend on them, and they work. So their needs and timescale are different to mine.

I'm also moving to an area where I seem to be already meeting people in interest groups that I'm passionate about. In my current area people are richer than me, and into consuming cultural stuff which isn't a priority for me financially. Where I'm moving to, people are more interested in natural things and creativity.

Work in progress here also.