I don’t know why it happens, but it does.

Whenever I get really stressed (or upset), my neck & face bloom into the worst case of hives. It’s really quite embarrassing.

I was invited by the Math department to do a brief presentation on the difference between the TAKS and the state developed alternative assessments. They gave me five minutes. I know this stuff backwards and forwards. I can quote the data in my sleep. And I can talk about it for hours. It’s incredibly interesting to me, although not necessarily to other people.

And when I’m in an unfamiliar situation spouting out these fascinating facts, I break out in hives.

Thankfully, the room was dimly lit where I was, so the “bloom” wasn’t so apparent.

Or so I thought.

Near the end of the evening, I leaned over to one of my math colleagues, appropriately the one who shared with me the wonderful revelation that I appear to break out in hives whenever I get stressed, and asked her how bad my breakout was this time. She looked at me, choked back an embarrassed laugh, and said, “You were doing great until you looked at me. Then you lit right up.”

She was sitting on the other side of the room and had a perfect view of the whole show.

Great.

Just.

Great.