Aw no luck there then. I'm from California. My dog is generally my ice breaker. I let her go off leash at the park because and if she go towards someone or some other dog, I end up talking to the other people for a short period before awkwardly strolling off with my dog. One time, my dog stumbled upon a dog meetup at the park and I just awkwardly stood there instead of talking to the people sitting down waiting for my dog to be done sniffing everything. Probably should've should've made some small talk... I wouldn't say I'm comfortable with my awkwardness but at this stage in life, I've learned to live with it. My first meetup was intense too. It's best not to think about it and just dive into it head-first.