@colorisnt, what about putting extra padding on your bars rather than trying to find padded gloves? Grab-Ons or a second layer of cork might help you out, particularly if gloves don't fit well.
@Roadtrip, the rear shifter is that way on purpose, so you can trim. Trimming is especially important with a wide gear range. Sheldon Brown and Park Tool have pretty much everything you need to know about maintenance and repairs, and Shimano's own website has technical documents for most of their products. Sounds like your RD cable is just in need of a serious tightening (try the barrel adjuster first, but if it's so far off that it won't shift off the small cog, you'll probably have to reposition the cable in the clamp).

