It absolutely paid off... not only are you getting the experience that Cyn mentions above but you also met nearly all of your colleagues in one fell swoop. Despite what you seem to think, I wouldn't be surprised if they found you charming and interesting. At the very least, they met you and know who you are.
I am almost certain:
- that no one saw that you ate all your cucumbers (or cared if you did)
- will remeber in any significant way that you drank Pepsi instead of wine, and if they did they would likely put it down to one of those quirks you file away about people. In other words, if they do remember and ever invite you over for dinner they will have Pepsi handy.
- that any flirtation that may or may not have been enacted in your direction will have been forgotten in the specific and remembered only in that you were someone the found charming and felt warmly towards (as opposed to someone they wanted to actively pursue and bed)
- that no one felt you were nuts, insane or weird because you collect comics. They may have found it a bit odd but then it isn't something they do. They are most likely intrigued because you will be teaching courses around these subjects and they won't (I used to hear all kinds of stories about how English Lit profs would deride my films profs - some of the first in Canada to teach film -- The English profs didn't know what to make of them and felt threatened by their status as the new darling of the department -- this was before there was a Film Studies Department).
- that no one heard your inner monologue as you winced your way through percieved errors (they were to busy worrying about their own faux pas -- which fricken fork am I supposed to use again? -- and worry about who this new prof is and will she make tenure before I do?).
In other words, we are all the same. We all make mistakes, real or imagined, and spending too much time worrying about it can only drive you crazy.
Chalk it up to experience and move on. It is never as bad as it seems.