LISTENING I try to bring as much silence into my life as I can. I have a chapel in my house. That’s part of the privilege of being a bishop. It’s very quiet and simple. But I do like music. I like modern Latin American music — Juanes and Ricardo Arjona. I also like the traditional Mexican music I grew up with at home, particularly Agustín Lara. And I like big band music of the ’30s and ’40s. It’s a nice contrast.

WATCHING I spend more time looking at my aquarium than I do looking at television. It’s fairly large, 200 gallons, with mostly freshwater tropical fish. Part of the challenge is growing live plants and making them thrive underwater. There’s great joy in looking at something that’s alive and beautiful. You kind of feel responsible for keeping the natural balance so life has a chance. I guess it is like the church. You feel responsible. You want human life to thrive. It’s something that requires cultivation.

FOLLOWING The Korrektiv blog, which is by a number of different writers who look up to Walker Percy, whom I also like. Whispers in the Loggia, which is a very popular Web site with very measured church commentary. And Amy Welborn has a nice blog from the perspective of a Catholic mother. I also check Cardinal Dolan’s blog. And I do check the Vatican Web site for the papal discourses. When Benedict was writing, I always found his writing to be very edifying and accessible. I’m looking forward to what the new pope has to say.

DRAWING My nephews and nieces for Christmas got me a sketch pad and a box of Crayola crayons, which I thought was so original and simple. They know I like to doodle and draw pictures of animals. The last thing I drew was a stegosaurus — the scales on its back were purplish and then the rest of it was reddish-brown. I think in life you need to maintain a certain childlikeness in things. Before I wanted to be a priest, I wanted to be a paleontologist.