The ash fell overnight like first snow on our steps, dusting everything in a fine layer of grey soot; the smoke tinted everything a sickly yellow-green as we struggled to breathe, enclosing the world in a sweltering dome of silence from which not even the sun could emerge. It was back to work for me today, and surprisingly everything was calm and low-key, which gave me the opportunity to try to get my life back in order while also heeding the air quality issues and their effect on my health.