okay maybe i don't know how to socialize

Only recently have I been branding myself as an extrovert. Or more specifically, an "American Introvert", which apparently is still extroverted on the global scale. I don't like putting people in boxes; "the introvert", "the extrovert", and "the ambivert". Most people are ambiverts but lean one way or the other. However, I was very much a capital I Introvert in grade school. I never spoke unless spoken to, even at lunch. Even with my friends. I just listened. In groups I froze and couldn't join in the conversation. I thought I got over that in college. I was going out on dates, to social club events, and clubbing occasionally. I struck up conversations easily. Now post-grad...something is broken. I'm now in environments with people 10-20 years my senior. I'm not surrounded by likeminded peers who are relatable and easy to talk to anymore. I went to Chicago to visit a friend last weekend, and she invited me to a social meet-up event at a pub. I was excited, its been a while since I…