I’ve realized since Brad started at Tar & Roses that we were pretty spoiled while he was at Pintxo.

One of us almost always got off of work early, so one of us always got the “load the bike into the back of the Civic” ride home from work when it was cold or windy or wet.

Not anymore.

Well, sometimes I still get off early.  So every now and then Brad will still get a ride home.  But I, unfortunately, am out of luck.  If I ride my bike into work, I will be riding my bike home from work.  That’s just the way it’s gonna be.

So I’ve had to think a bit more about how cold it’s going to be at 12:30am when I have to ride the couple of miles home.  I wear two pairs of socks.  I have three shirts on under my fleece.  I put my hood up and I tie it tight.

I know what you’re thinking – does it really ever get that cold in Los Angeles?

Yes!  It may not snow or sleet or freeze here in Santa Monica, but it’s been pretty cold recently. Riding a bike when its 40 degree is not fun, and the past three nights (and I just looked, the next two as well) its been just about that once I get to unlock my bicycle and head on home.

On these last couple of night rides, I’ve been wishing I had something to cover up my hands because they feel like they’ll fall off after a couple of blocks in the cold wind.  But sadly, I am no longer the owner of a pair of gloves.  This is because, like most people in LA, I thought I would never need gloves here.  We wear winter hats to be hipster.  We wear scarves instead of jackets.  Where do you even buy gloves in LA?

So yesterday, about 5 minutes before I had to leave for work, I remembered I still hadn’t bought gloves.

And creative/gangster/recycling Kels came out.  My hands would not go bare another night.

I just happened to have just cleaned out my sock drawer and had a whole pile of old socks I was going to donate.

I put one on my hand…

And put a little flour on the tip of each finger to show where the holes would go. (I had just baked bread so I used the little bit of flour still left on my cutting board – double recycling!)

And then I cut a little slit at each flour spot.

Voila! At least my knuckles would be warm!

(And notice, I got my nails painted purple for the Ravens!  Woohoo!!)

So I rode to work wearing my gangster gloves.

And I rode home wearing my gangster gloves.

The results?  Well… my knuckles were a little warmer than they were the night before, but my thumbs were just so darn cold.  And thumbs are just too important to lose to late-night winter bike riding frostbite.

Maybe next time I’ll use thicker socks.  Or two socks.  Or I just won’t cut holes for the thumbs.

What am I talking about.  I totally went and bought both Brad and I real gloves today.  With touch-screen compatibility and reflectors and everything.

No need to lose a thumb to save a couple bucks.

xoxo