Riding a bike in the snow

Like any other engineer, during my studies I had to learn a significant amount of physics. I know all about concepts like friction, which is the reason you can walk or stop as you wish instead of stupidly moving in circles at a constant speed.

However, the first time I was riding a bike in the snow (in Holland, sure) I forgot all my physics and hit the ground the moment I steered the handlebar. This, of course, does not happen to Dutch people. In matters of basic physics in a bike can kick the ass of any Spanish engineer.

I remembered this story yesterday when I was going to pick up Dani from the day care. It was a beautiful day. So sunny one could not even sit for long outside, so my Spanish friend and I, both wearing t-shirts, were walking nicely when, in a matter of seconds started to rain like if the sky was compensating for a few weeks of dryness. We hid in the first place we could and realized how a number of ladies were nicely pedaling around, covered head to toe in plastic. How on Earth did they know?

After a few minutes my friend declared "it is not going to stop" and I said "the fifteen minutes of pick up time are going to be over and the day care is going to call social services", so we went out running to face a nice shower. Immediately, sure enough, it stopped raining and Germans came out wearing raincoats and carrying their German kids, who were also wearing tiny raincoats. How did they know? Where were all those raincoats hiding? There is no answer, it is like the animals before the earthquake. They don't learn it. They know it.

Anyway, as much I would like to master the elements, I would rather master my own kid. Is there anybody out there that "just knows"? Knows he is hungry, knows he is sleepy, knows he just remembers the nice yellow rubber ducky he was playing with last week. Whoever that person is, has a guaranteed position as a baby consultant in my place.