1. There should be some resistance in the fan. One way to test the fan is to observe it while turning off the engine. It should stop almost immediately.
2. Not sure about the water pump dripping.
3. There should be significant pressure in the cooling system if it's hot. I'd recommend doing a pressure test to see if the system holds pressure (this is done cold). This will also tell you if you have a blown head or head gasket.
4. You might be a little anal.
My car runs anywhere between 90 and 100C when fully warmed up and according to the correct temp rating of our thermostats (80C) this seems correct.
5. You definitely want to check the valve clearance. Seems to me like this is a commonly overlooked maintenance item, but it's probably unrelated to your cooling issues.