For lots more info, visit my website at http://www.DanielleMuscato.com

I'm a public figure verified on Twitter and Facebook:

http://www.twitter.com/daniellemuscato
http://www.facebook.com/daniellemuscato.page

and my personal profile is at: http://www.facebook.com/daniellemuscato

Youtube channel: http://www.YouTube.com/daniellemuscato

CURRENT MISSION

See the world. There is a finite amount of time before the sun explodes.

ABOUT ME

"If we asked your best friends about you, what kinds of things would they say?"

I asked a friend to describe me and she said, "Goofy, smart, and kind." So that, I guess :)

I was a professional musician for several years before I decided to go back to college. I still love to travel and do it every chance I get. I have been to 194 cities in 8 countries so far!

I am a civil-rights activist focusing on advocacy for Black Lives Matter, separation of church and state, the rights of LGBTQ people, abortion access, science education, and other liberal/progressive causes. I am a transgender woman as well.

If you google me, you can find more info about my work (or just ask)—I've been featured in The New York Times, Time, Newsweek, The Root, The Establishment, CNN, BBC, MSNBC, NBC News, NPR, Huffington Post, Salon, Raw Story, VH1, Entertainment Weekly, People, Howard Stern, and many other media outlets.

PHILOSOPHY

You emulate the people around you, for better or worse, whether you want to or not. So surround yourself with people whom you admire.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I love to meet people and I *love* traveling. As mentioned above I used to be a professional musician and I just love the road and the adventures it brings. I also do a lot of public speaking by invitation at universities and conferences and I enjoy being in new places and hanging out with people with all sorts of backgrounds.

Interests

I'm a professional civil rights activist and my life is mainly focused around that—public speaking, activism events, media appearances, etc. I'm also a writer, and guitar player and bass player. I finished half an undergad degree at the University of Missouri studying economics and anthropology before I was offered my dream job and left school. I love game theory, anthropology/philosophy of religion, and the evolution of morality & altruism. My other academic interests are Latin/classics, ancient history, philosophy (especially ethics & the philosophy of science), and linguistics (esp. etymology & theoretical lexicography).

Activism is important to me, and I raise money for and support human- and animal welfare, LGBTQ rights, women's right to choose, religious freedom/atheism/secularism, and a several other causes.

My passion is volunteering/working with non-profits. I know CPR/AED/first aid. I'm a creative and happy person. I *love* formal debating (I do debates and also lecture by invitation at the college level on how to debate), intellectual stimulation, reading, and travel. I've been to over 165 cities in 8 countries and take several road trips every year.

I have a lot of varied interests and crave expanding my mind. I love reading, especially non-fiction (history, economics, anthropology, philosophy, etc), although sometimes I get sucked into a novel, too.

I love collecting art, all kinds of music, non-fiction books, the Discovery/Science channels, going to restaurants, playing pool, and contributing to and browsing Wikipedia. I subscribe to the WSJ and The Economist, although I'm just as happy watching "Groundhog Day" for the 10th time!

I also LOVE to cook! I used to work in restaurants and can make some great Italian dishes, among other things.

Send me a message if you'd like to chat! I love meeting people.

Music, Movies, and Books

Where to start! As I said I'm a musician and a writer. I love goofy comedies more than serious movies, and I love documentaries, although I try to enjoy everything.

My favorite musicians are Fiona Apple, Sarah McLachlan, Ani DiFranco, Gooding, The Postal Service, Pearl Jam, Death Cab for Cutie, Dave Matthews Band, Wah!, and lots, lots more.

I don't even know where to start with my favorite books. I love non-fiction. Matt Ridley, E.O. Wilson, Dan Ariely, Frans de Waal, Robert Wright, Karen Armstrong, Peter Singer, Jared Diamond, Bernd Heinrich, Dambisa Moyo, Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, Richard Carrier, Bart D. Erhman, David Eller, Daniel Dennett, Michael Shermer, Dan Barker, Ray Kurzweil, Darrel Ray, just to name a few.

Fiction: Hmm... I'll have to get back to you on that. I mostly read non-fiction.

Poetry: If you know who Tao Lin is, skip directly to the "Message" box at the top right :)

Movies/TV: I'm a sucker for comedies. The Office and 30 Rock are some of my favorites. I grew up on Star Trek: The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, and Voyager. I mostly watch documentaries as far as movies.

Music: LOTS. I'm a musician; I try to listen to a variety of stuff. I like everything from Lady Gaga & Shakira to classical (Beethoven, Sor, Albeniz, Mozart mostly) to funk (anything with James Jamerson or Larry Graham) to jazz (Miles is my favorite; I also like Wes Montgomery, Pat Matheny, Marcus Miller, Paul Chambers, etc) to rock (Green Day, Metallica, Eric Johnson, Beatles...). Lately I've been listening to a lot of Hindu classical music. My all-time favorites are Fiona Apple, Metallica, Ani DiFranco, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Dave Matthews Band, Billy Joel, Wah, Bramble, and Gooding.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Two or three moments that left me awestruck:

- Watching a meteor shower from 10,000 feet (Breckenridge, Colorado) in 2010
- Visiting Florence, Italy. I will live there someday!
- I'm saving #3.

Teach, Learn, Share

I love talking about activism, politics, religion, how to debate, and many other topics. I lecture on these at the university level by invitation and would love to share with you anything you'd like to chat about!

I can teach also you how to play pool, guitar, and/or bass! I was a professional guitar teacher for a number of years.

I'm also into photography although I don't own a DSLR right now. I can also talk ethics, epistemology... just about anything in philosophy, actually... the secular movement, travel of course, lots of stuff!

I am interested in learning ANYTHING. I love seeing and learning about other people's passions. If there is something you are passionate about, that is enough reason for me to be interested in it!

What I Can Share with Hosts

I love to cook and can make pasta from scratch if that interests you! My grandmother is from Italy and taught me how. I'm also a former guitar teacher and would LOVE to give you a lesson and/or jam! I teach bass as well.

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, France, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States