Have you taken a look at the sticky that discusses whether you can work full time and follow TR? It may not exactly answer your question but it may give you a feel for how others deal with not being around 24/7.
I think that saying having a diabetic cat wrecks your social life is a bit of a drastic statement. Members here run the gamut with regard to how they manage their cat's diabetes. There are some people who's style of management scares me to death. There are others who test more than I did (which would probably mean they never left the house). There has to be a balance otherwise you burn out. I was lucky in that most of my friends knew that I prioritized Gabby's safety. There were times I stopped home to check on her. There were times I cancelled plans. But, that was the exception, not the rule.
Missing a shot isn't the end of the world. It helps to think of it as a fur shot -- it happens. There's no way to predict how your cat will respond to a missed shot. With some kitties, there's no change. With others, there can be a change in numbers. If you decide to follow TR, the biggest complication is that the cycle count starts over.
I would definitely encourage you to start getting a test before you go to bed every night. At this point, you're missing half of your data. You don't know if Rufus' numbers may be dropping during the PM cycle and he then bounces into high numbers.
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