Chris Machle

Tracklist

Who Are You?

Hold On

Fortunate Son

Home

Long Distance Run Around

Going To California

Band on the Run

Ramble On

Golden Slumber / Carry That Weight / The End

Who Are You

(The Who, 1978)

Hello hellooooooooo!! Chris here back in action for my tenth summer at Camp Augusta!!

Hold On

(Alabama Shakes, 2012)

“Wait, what?” you may be asking yourself. “Tenth summer? How can it be that be?”

A perfectly valid question — to be answered with the next song.

Fortunate Son

(Creedence Clearwater Revival, 1969)

Having the opportunity to return to Augusta for the tenth time is absolutely a blessing. First introduced to the enchanting woods that I now call home as a camper back in 2008, the beauty of the Augustan experience has called me back ever since. Having spent six years as a camper, a year as a CIRCLEr, and two years as a junior counselor, I am thrilled to be a part of the Augusta community as a full time staff member this summer. From the minute I stepped off the bus that first summer ten years ago, the wish, wonder, and surprise that serves at the basis of the Augustan magic filled me with inspiration. As I continued to come back year after year, my love for this place and this community grew and grew. Though I could never fully articulate the ineffable quality that makes Augusta what it is, I knew that what I had experienced as a camper was poignant, powerful and meaningful, and I knew that I wanted to play a role in creating that experience for others. In my journey to staffdom, my affinity for Augusta has only continued to grow. Not only did I have the opportunity to begin to give back to the place that has given me so much, I developed as a human being far more than I could have ever imagined. I cannot express how grateful I am to continue to serve and grow at a new capacity this summer!

Home

(Brian Eno and David Byrne, 2008)

On July, 5, 1998, I was born as Christopher James Machle. 19 years later (or 18 for all you pre-July 5 readers), all I can think about is how much of a blessing it is to be alive.

For the first 18 years of my life, I lived in Piedmont, California, with my parents (Jeff and Tracy), my younger siblings (Sarah and Jason), and my Ridgeback pup. Growing up on a steady diet of interpersonal connection, classic rock, spiritual development, sports galore, friendly competition, and home-cooked meals served with love, I was given the foundational support I needed by my loving family while provided the freedom to make sense of the world on my own. With music and sports fueling my passions, my walk with God framing my perspective, and an ambitious appetite for knowledge rounding out the rest, I learned to be thoughtful, self regulating, and hard working with “A Little Help From My Friends” (but mostly my parents).

We’re Going To Be Friends

(White Stripes, 2001)

Because I have lived in a small town for the vast majority of my life, the friendships that I have are built to last lifetimes. Literally – I have known my best friend for the duration of my life. I cannot express how grateful I am to have grown up with the same group of guys over the years. Through hours of sports practices, pick up games, shenanigans, highlights, lowlights, lunch traditions, mistakes, shared struggles, and straight up buffoonery at times, we have created a bond that will never be severed. And, as life-giving it has been to have a core group of people I have grown up with, it has been equally as important for me to build lifelong connections out of new friendships whether at camp, the fraternity house, or the residence hall. Through establishing connection, support systems, and memories, my friends have helped me to find so much meaning in my life – I do not know where I’d be without them!

Long Distance Runaround

(Yes, 1972)

As early as I can remember, sports have been a huge part of my life – as soon as I could walk, I was running, as soon as I could read I was memorizing baseball card statistics, and as soon as I learned basic rhetorical strategies I was debating sports topics. In fact, throughout all of elementary school, my entire conceptualization of the term “fun” was rooted in physical activity. And, though I have learned to have fun in a variety of ways that have nothing to do with sports, being physically active remains an incredibly important part of my life.

At the end of the high school soccer season my freshman year, I abandoned my initial plan to play tennis, opting to give track a try in a spur of the moment decision. While the start of the season was slow, my entire attitude towards running was forever changed after my first trail run. Though the run began just as any other training run I had been on, the ending was magical. As I chased my speeding teammate down the winding trail (who had just launched into what I now affectionately know as a “surprise tempo”), everything melted away, leaving me focused solely on the rhythmic drawing of my breath, the soft pattering of my feet against the padded dirt floor, and the flashing column of trees zooming behind me – all I was thinking about was running. From that moment on, I was completely hooked. As I had experienced that day, running for me has become a mental reset button, a meditative practice that grounds me by living purely in the moment Even though I no longer train at the same capacity as I did in high school, the state of profound being I find through running will continue to help me establish emotional balance in my life.

(Also, note how glamorous the last leg of a sub 2 minute 800 meter race looks, as depicted by me in the bottom right)

Going to California

(Led Zeppelin, 1971)

After graduating high school last June, I packed up my things and headed off to college …. fifteen minutes down the road at UC Berkeley! Growing up, I was practically weaned off of Cal football, and developed a very naïve expectation that I was without a doubt going to study at Berkeley. In fact, I was so convinced that I would eventually be a Cal student that I emphatically declared in my fifth grade yearbook that after high school, “I’m going to go to Cal (but everyone knows that)”. Looking back, I think this boastful remark was mostly a reference to my rampant Cal fanaticism and my insistence on perpetually donning my decrepit and decaying Cal hat. Nevertheless, quite a statement for a fifth grader to be making!

Even though I apparently took it for granted that I would be attending UC Berkeley, being a Cal student has been a surreal experience. In only two semesters, I have already explored academic fields and topics that I previously could not have imagined diving into, including data science, a history of prisons and mass incarceration, and a comprehensive analysis of the biology of human variation. While it is tempting for me to try a little of everything, I plan to major in cognitive science, an interdisciplinary blend of psychology, neuroscience, and the study of consciousness. And, though I have no clue what aspect of CogSci I plan to pursue, the prospect of researching the influence of educational systems on childhood development seems to be incredibly interesting at the moment. But then again, anything to do with the way the mind works happens to be incredibly interesting at the moments. Fortunately, I have three more years (and then some) to figure it all out.

Band on the Run

(Paul McCartney, 1990)

If you can’t tell, I am a huge music nerd. Huge. And it’s mostly thanks to my parents, who flooded my ears with classic rock from the minute I was born. By the age of three, I was singing along to Jeff Buckley; by fourth grade, I had a full on Beatles haircut; by middle school, I was deeply in love with everything Led Zeppelin. And though I absolutely loved listening to music throughout my life, it wasn’t until I took an a cappella class in high school that I became involved with making music. At first, I was incredibly hesitant to try singing. But, as soon as the class started, my zeal for music was born anew. Not only did I have a newfound pathway for emotional expression, I began to enjoy styles of music I never would have considered listening to before. And, with some very basic music theory training and a Whole Lotta Love (for Zeppelin, John Paul Jones’s bass grooves, music in general, etc.), I began teaching myself how to play bass. What started as an uncertain attempt to fulfill my high school arts requirement has blossomed into a passion, building from my preexisting love for classic rock. Though I’ve only been playing bass for a handful of years, I’ve already come across some interesting opportunities with my newly formed band. Who knows what will happen with that, but it a gift to be able to make and appreciate music!

Ramble On

(Led Zeppelin, 1970)

How could I make a tracklist and not include my favorite song of all time? And there is still so much about myself I want to share with you… so in the words of Robert Plant, “I guess I’ll keep on rambling”!

Some things have not yet talked about but still love:

  • Hiking – whether in the mountains, the coast, or the east-bay hills. (Ask me about that one time I climbed Cloud’s Rest, as captured in one of the photos below)
  • Science fiction, especially Dune by Frank Herbert
  • Statistical Journalism – go check out the website fivethirtyeight if you don’t know what I am talking about!
  • Food – eating it, preparing it, talking about it, sharing it, growing it
  • Settlers of Catan – the greatest board game ever invented
  • Looking out at the Golden Gate Bridge from the base of the Camponile in Berkeley
  • Driving along the California coastline
  • The Greek Theatre
  • Pondering my purpose in life

Golden Slumber / Carry That Weight / The End

(The Beatles, 1969)

Well, that’s all I got for ya! Can’t wait to meet you all!

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