Driving home from work last night, snaking around the street construction on Farwell Street, I was listening to Mary Jo Wagner (that little minx) chatting with Mike Schatz and Geoff Moeding about the new Phoenix Parkside construction in downtown Eau Claire. They were talking about downtown in general when “Bruce from Chippewa Falls” called in to comment on the state of downtown’s streets. He said the streets are horrible.

OK, what?

The streets are not pristine, not by a long shot. But “horrible?” Maybe Bruce was born in a city paved in layers of smooth, solid gold (where guys named "Bruce" are treated like rockstars). Not sure. At any rate, there seems to be a horribly large pile of people around here absolutely obsessed with street conditions. What gives? I’m no fan of potholes, but I rarely find a street I’d call “horrible.” I guess beautiful roads are a sign of a community with high self esteem, and that’s cool, but if the streets are a little bumpy, um … drive slower?