
PARIS: I can’t date. I’m not genetically set up for it … I get no pleasure out of the prospect or the preparation. I’m covered in hives, I’ve showered four times, and for what? Some guy who doesn’t even have the brains to buy a Zagat so we don’t wind up in a restaurant that’s really just a front for a cocaine laundering ring?
Hives, also known as urticaria, is a skin rash with raised, itchy bumps that may burn or sting. It may be due to an infection or to an allergic reaction. Stress can also be a trigger, as seems to be the case with Paris. About 20% of people will have hives at least once, so it’s not rare, and treatment is usually antihistamines or cortisone.