14 days by Daniel Semo
A short trip in a time machine with a character that comes off the page.
A chat about how far things have come and how far they still need to go.
A night of profanity, catharsis, and unexpected names.
The dream of Venice on the Texcoco vs the reality of the Cutzamala at 26%.
Marching to keep the disappeared in plain view.
I learn about gender gaps in birds (and birders), and try to properly rate a tyrant.
Una breve visión del rico mundo de la cocina tradicional.
Tamales, aeroplanes, cardamom… and ever-present dreams of nothing.
Getting behind the line, outside the city lines.
Perrhijas and perrhijos as far as the eye can see.
A tale of drug stores, revolutions, liaisions… and bathrooms.
The sound of gardens in the place of coyotes.
A quick peek at the next generation of Garibaldi legends.
I start things off by checking out the newly honoured and revisiting a timeless classic.
Back in Melbourne, where I dig through tape and and fight the fade
I complete some unfinished business and celebrate coming home in the most Melbourne of ways
I ponder change as the tape keeps rolling.
A tale of local bureaucracy somehow captivates me in a storied country town.
I eavesdrop on a regular afternoon jam session and learn more about a style that’s somehow always been old.
I go round in circles and learn about a man who pushed for a new city (and a new self)
Joshua shows me around his vintage shop and makes me wonder, "Do I feel lucky? Well, do I (punk)?"
Go Penguins!
I try to experience Sydney through other people's ears (and one dummy head)
I finally make it to Sydney and head somewhere that most people wouldn't... again.
Some things change with time, like petrol prices or pub menus. But even things that change can be a source of common ground.
I listen to my local bartender, and then fail to listen to what was right in front of me.
How do you appreciate an experience that can only be lived through, not passed by? Listening helps.
Leigh grew up right by the edge of the river, and the farther he travels on it, the more it feels like home
Australia is a very different place from the one I came back to when I produced my first series of stories a year ago. But one thing, at least, will be the same—the person I talk to as I embark on another 14 Days.
I hear from those who spoke before about what lies ahead.
In November 2020, I spoke to someone who was stranded overseas, desperately trying to make it back to Australia. Today, I find out what happened.
I exchange notes on the quarantine experience with someone on a comparable, but faraway, island.
As I wonder what became of a staple of the Australian airport experience, I talk to someone I knew a long time ago—about Brisbane, about comedy, and about Australia.
It’s down to four teams for my AFL pick. As I watch their games and try to find something to latch on to, however, a familiar foe appears.
As I see the end in the distance, it’s time to look beyond. It’s also time to make some very important Melburnian decisions.
Things are getting a little loopy… so why not lean into it? I set myself a musical challenge and spend a whole day making all kinds of fun noise.
In which I wonder if Aphex Twin and Vladimir Nabokov were correct.
It’s hard not to get stuck in a loop in quarantine. I talk to an unwitting veteran about the good, the bad, and the utterly ridiculous. And about whatever helps us to get through the day.
It’s Census Day in Australia—whether you’re at home, on the road, or in quarantine—and I think about what it means to be counted.
I get to the bottom of a mystery, and talk about some of life’s other lows.
An unexpected delivery arrives at my door. Naturally, I try to investigate.
It’s my birthday and I’m stuck in quarantine. But I get to talk to someone who didn’t have to wait too long for me.
In one sense, it was as simple as buying a plane ticket and flying home. In another, it was an odyssey with an unlikely hero
