half deaf

Here's a dubious advantage to being deaf in one ear:

Whenever I need or want to plug my ears, I only have to plug one of them now. That seems rather obvious, but it's just that I can do it more inconspicuously now. When one has both ears to plug, it looks oh-so-obvious – reaching with both hands on either side of the head and pressing a finger into each ear. There's no subtlety at all to that gesture, and everyone knows, "Hey, he's plugging his ears!"

On the other hand, I've found that all I have to do now is tilt my head down to one side, and use one hand, one finger. I haven't yet tested this theory by looking at myself in the mirror, but I'm imagining it is much more nonchalant and casual looking compared to when I could hear out of both ears, and thus having two ears to plug.

Yes, it's quite a reach finding this advantage, but better to focus on the positives of my condition than the negatives...