Name: Amy Chavez Hometown: Dayton, OH (...but I live in Japan) Website: Japan Lite Started with Just Laugh: January 2003

Favorite Food: Fish sperm (a Japanese delicacy)
Favorite TV show: Southpark
Favorite Books: One Nation, Extra Cheese: Your Guide to the Bestest Country Ever by Modern Humorist and Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris
Favorite Flavor of Jello: Jello? Yuck!
Favorite Quotation: When in doubt, moo!
Favorite Song: The Moo Song, by Chip Staley
Hobbies: I like to moo. I find it effectively relieves stress. Want to try it? C'mon. Together now, 1-2-3: Mooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!
Nickname: The Moo Lady
Biggest Waste of an Hour: Waiting for Japanese people to make decisions
Best Way to Spend an Hour: Reading a good book on any of the heated toilet seats among the pristine public bathrooms in Japan
How I Want to Die / Thing Heard at Funeral: I'm sure I will die when the big boulder over my house lets loose, which will be during the next earthquake or high-wind day. At my funeral, I hope they'll say, "Amy Chavez, who boulderly went as no woman has gone before."
Most Noble Pet: my dog "Dammit," residing in Dog Heaven
Ideal Vacation Spot: Bali
Pet Peeves: Sorry, I have no pets at the moment.
Turn-Ons: TV
Turn-Offs: Desk lamp
Morning Dove or Night Owl (time frame - not the actual bird!): Both - I don't need much sleep.
Most Memorable Event(s): Skiing down the fallopian tube before I was conceived.

How did you get started in the business?

I just demanded editors see me by showing up for self-imposed interviews.

I feel compelled to write things down. Someone may as well read it.

Other good humor writers. Anyone short of brilliant, however, puts me in a bad mood. Dave Barry, David Sedaris, Monty Python, and the writers for Sesame Street and Southpark are very inspiring.

I have a dream--to get the whole world mooing. I have found that people really enjoy mooing over email and that it's absolutely addicting. People send moos to me from all over the world. Although people differ on the kinds of humor they like, most people think mooing is funny. No one can let out a hearty moo without laughing. This is one of the very few truly universal humor techniques. Furthermore, the moo sound is shared among many languages (English, Spanish, Japanese and Indonesian for starters). We all know that laughter is the the best medicine, and mooing is one way to make sure you've always got the medicine. So when things get tough or you're feeling down, or if you just need a laugh, let out a Mooooooooooo! You can start by sending me a Moo (in your language) at amychavez2000@yahoo.com.