BTYS: Day Two

It's 21.11. 

I was at the RDS today from 9 until 5.30. When I arrived, the head judge for the Biology section was at my stand. He asked if I was 4305 and I said yes, so he said that they'd had a chemist review the project overnight and they'd decided to move it to a different section - from Biology to Chemistry/Physics/Maths (I hate how broad that category is). He said good things about the project too, which was reassuring, but I was very comfortable in my old category as there were only seven of us there. At least I didn't have to physically move or change my number, I was just to be judged in Chemistry from then on.

On the negative side, I'm now in a much more difficult category, competing with all the Synge Street Ramuna-whatever maths projects and some chemistry ones as well. I understood all the Biology ones in my category, whereas I don't about the new section. So that's a bummer. But that's the Intel category which is fun. All three of my school's projects are now in the Maths/Chem/Phys section. 

There was a notice on my desk saying I'd have an "Invited Visitor" at 11 a.m. Those are usually politicians/VIPs. I had one last year who came up to me, said "Could you just point up at your board and pretend you're explaining this to me?", took a photo, had his assistant give me contact numbers, and left. The senators from your county always come found your project and look interested. Mary Moran was nice enough, but the way they generally operate (the senators at the YS) seems a bit fake. 

Anyway, the VIP was supposed to be Minister Gerald Nash, but he didn't turn up so I was just there waiting at my stand for ages. Then I went to look at some other projects and when I got back my sister Moya (who'd been minding my stand) said I'd missed a judge. I freaked out a bit but she said he'd be back in around 10 minutes, so I waited. My judge was male this time, my first judge since being moved to Chemistry. I'm not sure if he's my main judge ... this morning seems like weeks ago, I can't even remember the interview with them. It was half an hour long again, I think, and my talking about the project went well although I remember there was one question he asked that I couldn't answer satisfactorily and it's bugging me because I know it, it's easy and I could say it now, I just couldn't articulate it under pressure (the answer is: the insulator). The judges in the senior category have really made me think on my feet and haven't asked me simple fact questions. It's a lot of extrapolation.

I was extremely nervous between judges, because I've worked so hard on this I guess. Earlyish a photographer came to take photos of me (duh) for SiliconRepublic, the one the journalist talked to me about yesterday. I wonder when/if that'll go up. 

I waited for an hour for Gerald (first name, yes) then waited for Kay to finish his judging and went for lunch. I didn't want to waste my daily €4 voucher so I bought four packets of crisps and shared them out with Cahal and the boys. I had another judge, Eoin Mac Neill (O' Neill?) I think. Found out later he's not actually a Category judge, he's a Special Awards one. 

Oh, and once Moya arrived Kay immediately starting flirting with her.

Probably other stuff, but I'm writing the last paragraph of this on Saturday on the train home and I can't really remember.