text: Saturday, February 13, 2016
  
  Secret weapon against the ice age.
  
  Looks like we get it in the neck today---temperatures tonight of -3F, with a windchill of -24. Maybe you Alaskans and Siberians will laugh at us, but we think that's kind of cold.
  
  Fortunately, I have a secret weapon.
  
  "Mittens? Big deal."
  
  No, Mr. Strawman! These are not just mittens! These are a product of science!
  
  Think Geek calls it the Winter Reuseble Hand Warmer, and that's where Santa (in the guise of the lovely and thoughtful Mrs. Key) got them for me. We've all seen those HotHands things that work by chemical reaction; you trigger them and they give you a delightful pack o' warmth to stick in your gloves, pocket, pants, whatever. But those you can only use once. This is indeed a reusable item. When the heat runs out, you boil them for five minutes and poof! The chemical reaction is reversed, and you can use them again.
  
  Here's the video of the chemical reaction itself; notice the crystal formation in the sodium acetate set off by clicking the metal disk.
  
  Genius!
  
  Now, there is one disadvantage. While the HotHands claim to last up to 10 hours, this will only go 1 hour tops. However, I'm not going to the playoffs at Lambeau; when you are mainly concerned with keeping your fingers from falling off while walking your big hairy dog (who is personally impervious to any amount of cold), it's a lifesaver. For just two bucks each, you could buy a sack, and them boil them all up in Mama's pasta pot when the cold snap is over.
  
  Thanks, Think Geek! Thanks, Mrs. Key! I may still be typing with all 10 fingers by tomorrow!