Falls Church huh? I have, er... had family in Falls Church
My best suggestion to you is check out the Cornerspeed school. Those guys are TOP KNOTCH and will help you hone your cornering skills in NO time. I've been going down there for the last three years (from Massachusetts!) to ride with them & it's always a pleasure.
in regards to your seating position, sit wherever you feel comfortable... if that's on the front 1/2 of the seat, so be it. that's where I spend most of my time as well.
As for your hands, concentrate on using your legs, abdomen and lower back to hold yourself up, NOT your hands, wrists and arms. Keep your grip AS LIGHT AS POSSIBLE, almost to the point where you're not even gripping the bars. This will help w/ "numb hand" as well as sore wrists, arms & shoulders.
Lastly, don't worry bout your Wuss Strips... or as we call em, Chicken Strips. Just do some reading on proper riding technique & concentrate on that.
Check out Twist of the Wrist and Twist of the Wrist 2. Great books. If i recall correctly, 2 concentrates more on street riding technique than 1.