I would guess that probably everyone on this forum is a little like you. At least to some degree, me included. There are people like my wife's friends who have seen me at different functions for several years, yet have maybe heard me say two words in all that time. Actually I'm probably a little different than you in that I'm not really looking to talk to new people. My wife, on the other hand, loves talking to random people everywhere she goes. That's what you got to do. Hook up with someone who's a total social butterfly and let them start all the conversations.