2009 has not been an easy year for Kelly or for me.

It was time for a little levity, and that came in the form of a Zeppelin NT, known by her friends as Eureka.

You can also call her an airship, or a dirigible. But do NOT call her a blimp. And that’s not because she’s sensitive about her size, because her frame is a svelte 2200 pounds. Unlike a blimp, she has a semi-rigid structure that can still be flown if the pressure envelope (read: sausage-shaped balloon above the gondola) loses its shape.

I’ve been wanting to do this ever since I spotted one floating above San Francisco (and thought I was hallucinating). I love trying zany things, and this pretty much fit the bill. The flight was surreal. Beautiful. Breathtaking. We had an aerial view of Oakland, the Bay, and San Francisco (including the Golden Gate Bridge and the old/in-progress Bay Bridge). Fabulous. Just fabulous.

The ride was meant to be symbolic, to lift our spirits, to help us gain perspective and reach new heights. And it did.