From one standpoint, Minnesota's senior Senator Norm Coleman is certainly a lucky man. He has a lovely wife, Laurie Coleman, who has succeeded at several walks of life: she is a former runway model and actress, and currently an inventor and entrepreneur (and mother of the Colemans' two children).
Laurie Coleman's latest endeavor is absolutely priceless, although it retails for $29.99.
Seems that Ms. Coleman grew frustrated with accompanying her husband on the campaign trail and on junkets abroad: one would wake up early in the morning in hotel rooms, with no way to properly take care of one's hair in such a brief period of time.
So she gave the world the rather unfortunately named Blo & Go!
For years, Coleman had been jury-rigging wire coat hangers into holders for her blow-dryer so she could use both hands to style her hair. "You go on a trip with senators and you have 45 minutes and you have to be ready to go," says Coleman, who doesn't have the luxury of traveling with a hairstylist. "Norm's not going to blow-dry my hair."
Her makeshift holsters were awkward, but they worked. That led a friend, Anthony Turk, who is now her business partner, to encourage her to develop and manufacture the device. It took four years of working with a product designer, but you can now get a Blo & Go for $19.99.
Prices have increased due to the economy, of course, but still!
The Washington Post rather dryly notes:
It is hard to believe that the name Blo & Go was not chosen to, at the very least, amuse. This, after all, is a world in which the term "wide stance" churns up easy chuckles.
Coleman's voice registers shock -- and dismay-- that anyone would make such a connection. "I didn't think of that," she says.
Evidently.
So I wonder how old Norm feels about his wife's invention?
"I needed something of great quality that was really going to stay up," she says.
Ouch.
"The whole key to this is the suction."
Stop it. You're killing me.
Senator Coleman, unfortunately, has not issued any public statements on the Blo & Go, depriving us of what could be a true YouTube gem. But as minor consolation, we have this zinger from Comedy Central's Pages:
It's fortunate that Coleman doesn't offer refunds, because (Senator Larry) Craig is going to mistake this product for an airport concierge service.