Rob Lowe is (partially) Deaf? OMG!

I just read in a blurb-ish article posted at msn.com that actor Rob Lowe is deaf in one ear, possibly by the mumps, which he suffered from as a child (being born three years after the vaccine was invented).

People must care about this ridiculous "factoid," otherwise msn.com wouldn't have posted it on its homepage.

That's why people aren't terribly impressive.

Beethoven was deaf in both ears, and despite his miserable childhood and tragic adulthood managed to compose the single most beautiful and inspiring masterpiece of all time: his Ninth Symphony--specifically the "Ode to Joy" chorus.

Now that's impressive--that a completely deaf man can compose the finest music ever in the history of mankind.

Who in the hell cares that a man can act (badly) while being only partially deaf?

Ooh, I know! The same morons who will vote either for Barack Obama or John McCain.



Be honest--wasn't that an awesome turn of point?

Funny story:

When I was in high school, I worked at a video store. One day, a gruffly, bearded man walked in, picked out a movie, and approached me at the counter for the rental.

He gave me his membership card, and it came up as under a woman's name. I asked him for his name, and he said, "Rob." I looked at the screen and saw that "Rob" had permission to rent on the account, so I took his money and gave him the movie.

As he left, I looked to my right, and our assistant manager--I'll call her "Carrie" since that was her name--was reeling back and patting her chest. As "Rob" left the building, I asked "Carrie" what was wrong.

"Do you know who that was?" she said.

"Uh, Rob, I guess," I answered.

"Yeah, Rob Lowe," she fired back.

"No way," I said--though I quickly brought up the account, only to find that "Rob" was a permitted renter for a woman (whose first name I cannot recall) had the last name of Lowe.

"Holy *expletive*," I said.

And that's the story.

I never said it was interesting.

I also rented movies to Randy Johnson, Nate McMillan, James Doohan, and this guy named Karl who always rented porn.