Awkward a la Mode

There is an amazing unspoken truth at BYU that goes something like "if you feed them, they will come." Any time there is food, you are guaranteed that people will come to your gathering, which spurs events like "Muddy Buddy Sunday," "Thirsty Thursday," "Martinelli Monday," and tonight, the "Root Beer Floatial."
I'm not saying that these things aren't a good idea. I myself have thrown my share of Waffle Bar Sundays and Non-Alcoholic Pina Colada night (NAPC). But despite that fact, when I am not throwing them, I hate them.
I understand the need for food or drinks in these situations. You have to have something to hold so that you don't just have to stand there awkwardly with your arms folded. And drinks are better than food, because if you finish your cookie and go back for more you feel like a pig, plus there's crumb potential. What I hate is the necessity of having them. Inevitably I feel awkward walking into someone else's apartment and trying to strike up a conversation about where people are from and what their names are and how we're all going to remember that because so and so looks just like our good friend who has the same name, blah blah. These kinds of events go one of two ways for me:

1. I leave early because I feel incredibly awkward and can't attach myself to any groups,
2. I end up talking really loud and making a fool out of myself about something that doesn't matter.

I have to say though, the Root Beer Floatial was one of the more successful events I've seen around these parts, or at least it was for me. Whitney and I got to talk to some guys we've been attempting to become friends with, and we met a few other people and had a good time, despite the fact that we both used the term "liminal space" in normal conversation. Whoops. I think this is going to be a good place to be, I just hate waiting for the time when it will stop being weird to go to every single activity.
Also, I'd just like to throw this out there: I could really use a dating victory. Despite some leftover shyness that will always be part of my personality I'm sure, some of my London confidence remains, in both my manner and my ability to put together a rockin' outfit. These things should pay off eventually. I am really tired of things going nowhere. I'm not a particularly awkward or disgusting person, and I feel like something in my relationships with the opposite gender should start reflecting this, much as I enjoy my supply of good friends, which includes several guys I wanted to date and am still friends with even though it turned out they didn't feel that way about me. At this point, I'd even settle for a really big heartbreak if I got to date someone for awhile first. (Okay, that's probably a lie. But honestly, the time has come. Sheesh.)
Now I'm done.