 Hi, I'm
Chris Born-Long.
You are looking at one of my
primary interests—this website. I love working on its design and
layout, and making all the pieces fit and work together. With a painter
for a father and a designer for a mother, I guess the genes are
finally showing! Born in
Chicago, I came to Austin at Christmas of 1978. My folks had moved here a
few months earlier, and it seemed a good time to abandon those Yankee
winters for warmer climes.
Since 1984 I've been with Parsons,
a worldwide builder-constructor firm. I enjoy my work in accounting and
billing, especially since I work at home full time—the
best perk I've ever had. Over my years with Parsons, I've also
worked as administrative assistant, done lots of word processing, and served as editor for all the office's reports and
proposals.
Just
before I moved south, I had enjoyed a rather unconventional departure from
my usual office work. In 1976, I was working at Kitchens
of Sara Lee as public relations assistant, and completely involved in Sara Lee's bicentennial
project—a 65-foot-high birthday cake for the nation. The cake components were created
at Sara Lee's plant outside Chicago. Then, a week before the gigantic Independence Day
celebration, a convoy of five trucks, decorated with a special bicentennial birthday logo,
carried the cake from Chicago to Philadelphia. I drove the lead car and hosted publicity
stops in five cities along the route. Somehow, what stuck from that experience wasn't a
new excitement for public relations. Instead, I fell in with the truckers, yearning for a
life on the road, some time away from the world of business. So, in 1977, I took my show on the road,
literally, and spent two years driving an eighteen-wheeler. It was great fun, but
eventually the appeal waned and I felt the need to return to a quieter existence.
My job keeps me pretty busy, and even at
leisure I'm most likely still at
the computer, my favorite recreation. I enjoy an occasional round of golf
with Ed, although I wouldn't claim to be any good at it. We have fun. I've also become pretty good at
digital photography (check out our Fabulous
Photos) and make custom calendars and greetings cards. Our four-footed
critters also take a good bit of my time
and give me great pleasure. When I take a break from the keyboard, I can just
step outside and enjoy our pretty spot in the woods.
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