02x12 - Moderation - The Spider's Two Feasts / The Goose That Laid the Golden Egg

[bunniefuu]

♪ Tell me a story

♪ Read me a poem ♪

♪ Wrap it in melody ♪

♪ Sing me the song ♪

♪ Then let me hold it ♪

♪ Deep in my heart ♪

♪ Where it can speak to me ♪

♪ All the day long ♪

♪ The adventure of virtue ♪

♪ The adventure of truth ♪

♪ The thrill of knowing ♪

♪ That it's up to you ♪

♪ Building a new day shining in the sun ♪

♪ This is my story ♪

♪ The adventure has ♪

♪ Begun. ♪

( Crowd cheering )

Hey, batter, batter.

Boy: let's go!

Come on!

( Whistling )

( Whistles and cheers ) !

Strike three!

You're out!

( All cheering )

Way to go, annie.

( Chanting ): annie! Annie!

Teammate: great pitching!

It's full count, bases loaded

And who comes up to bat but their heavy hitter.

I mean, this guy has a ton of r.b.i.s.

Uh, r.b.i.?

That means runs batted in.

But I just looked him in the eye and gave him

The old redfeather express.

That's annie's fastball.

Oh.

He swung so hard, I thought he was going to fall over.

But he missed by a mile.

Zach, let me tell.

Yeah, so he missed by a mile and got the last out.

We won four to zip.

Zip?

That means zero.

It sounds like it was a very exciting game.

Oh, it was.

And winning this game means

We're headed for the play-offs.

Wonderful, annie. Congratulations.

Zach, how's everything at school going for you?

Really good.

Fantastic, actually.

Wait till you see my...

Annie: wait a second. I forgot.

I left out the best part.

My coach said my arm

Is strong enough to pitch most of the play-off games.

Isn't that great?

Well, that's great, annie.

Zach, you wanted to show us something?

, Yeah! I wanted to show you the baseball

My teammates signed especially for me.

It's a wonderful memento, but if I'm not mistaken

Zach has something he'd like to show us.

I'm sorry. I've been hogging the conversation.

When it comes to baseball

I don't when to stop.

Perhaps a little moderation is in order.

Moderation? What's that?

And what's it got to do with baseball?

Moderation is keeping things

Within reasonable bounds and not going overboard.

When you find yourself doing too much of one thing

Or thinking about something all the time...

Like me with baseball?

Right. It might be time

To think about balancing the things you do.

But I spend time with my friends

I help my mom, I go to school...

( Clears throat )

Speaking of school, get a load of my report card!

Why, zach, this is a terrific report card.

Congratulations.

Thank you.

Yes! Oh, you must feel very proud.

Yeah, especially since it was a lot of hard work.

How'd you do, annie?

On what?

On your report card?

Oh, yeah.

To tell you the truth

I kind of forgot about it.

( Gasps )

Oh, no.

What is it, annie?

Why... My grades.

Oh, my.

Yes, they do seem to have dropped.

Boy, did they.

Ari: aha!

( Grunting ): you thought you had me, did you?

Perhaps we'd better check this out.

( Both grunting )

What's going on, guys?

We're playing...

Tug-of-w*r.

Whoever loses...

Gets pulled into the mud.

Pretty neat, huh?

( Grunting )

Cool. Sounds nice and messy to me.

And that's just what I'm in right now-- a mess.

Once my mom

Sees my report card

She'll make me quit baseball for sure.

I wouldn't jump to conclusions

But I would try to balance things better.

How? Between school and baseball

I feel like I'm caught in the middle

Of a tug-of-w*r.

Except for after seeing my grades

It looks like school lost.

( Yelling )

Sometimes it's hard

To balance all the things you want to do.

Thank you.

Listen to what happens in this folktale from africa.

It's called "the spider's two feasts."

( Tarzan-like yell )

Once, the african spider had a very, very big belly.

( Yelling )

Ooh!

Well, they certainly don't make jungle vines

Like they used to.

From now on, I go it on foot.

But as the spider walked, he began to get very hungry.

Mmm, mmm.

I could sure use a bit of lunch about now.

Nothing too much, mind you.

Just a delicious, piping hot bowl of goat soup

Mmm, luscious yams loaded with butter...

Mmm...

Hey, what's going on?

( Yelling )

Hey!

Come back here, hare.

I'm upside down.

Oh, a thousand pardons, spider

But I was so eager to get upstream

I didn't even notice you.

( Grunting )

There you go.

Well, what could be so important?

Oh, haven't you heard?

There's a big wedding feast in upstream town.

Everyone's invited to a lavish feast.

Hope to see you there.

Well, now, why am I dreaming about lunch

When lunch is about to be served?

So, his tummy growling with anticipation

The spider turned himself around

And headed upstream.

Whoa-a-a! Whew!

Now, why is that silly fox going downstream in such a hurry

When a great feast is about to start upstream?

Oh, well, I suppose it's my duty to set him straight.

( Grunting )

Where are you going in such a rush?

Well, haven't you heard?

There's a big harvest feast being given

In downstream town.

( Slurping )

Harvest feast, you say?

Downstream?

That's right.

See you at the feast, pally.

My, isn't this my lucky day?

I can't believe my good fortune.

Two feasts at the...

( Gasps )

...same time!

This is terrible, outrageous, unheard of!

How could they do this to me?!

Oh... Oh, no.

Which feast shall I attend first?

Hurry along now, children.

We wouldn't want to miss the lovely meal.

( Trilling )

Yes! My children!

These are beautiful ropes you've spun, father

But why tie them around your belly?

You'll see.

But what do these ropes have to do

With the feasts?

You'll see.

Now, be good children and follow me.

And so, spider led his children

To the spot that marked the middle

Between upstream town and downstream town.

Now, here is the plan.

You, my son, will take this end of the rope

To upstream town

While you, my daughter, will take your end

To downstream town.

Yeah!

Uh... Then what?

Then, once your feast has begun

You pull the rope

Thereby signaling me

Which feast has begun first.

Get it? Got it.

Haven't a clue.

Don't worry.

When upstream town starts eating

Just pull your rope.

I'll do the rest.

Bye-bye, father.

Yes, good-bye.

I'll be seeing one of you very soon.

( Laughing ): ooh...

I'm so clever, it's almost frightening.

( Giggling )

But an hour passed without a single tug.

What could possibly be taking so long?

( Groans )

Ah, well, perhaps the meals are still cooking.

( Growling )

Greetings, spider.

Why aren't you at the upstream feast?

Because I happen to know that it hasn't started yet.

Oh. Is that so?

It most certainly is.

Well, I'll just have to see for myself.

( Growls )

Suit yourself.

( Snorting )

What's with you, spider?

Haven't you heard

About the downstream feast?

Of course I have

And I'm very much looking forward to it.

Yeah. Well, then, i... I'll see you there.

To be sure!

Patience, dear belly.

Soon you'll have more food than you can stomach.

( Chortles )

"Stomach"-- get it?

( Giggles )

My, but I'm clever.

But then another hour passed without a single tug.

I'm becoming starved... Famished.

Why, I can feel my poor tummy tightening as I speak.

Uh-oh.

Yes, the two feasts had started precisely

At the same time.

( Diners chatting )

( Straining )

Why... Isn't... Father... Coming?

I'll just have to...

( Strains )

Pull harder.

( Grunting )

( Choking ): help me!

Uh... Uh, what'd you say?

( Frantic grunts )

No, no, sorry. Can't stop to visit.

I'm late for a wonderful feast.

I'm surprised you aren't at one yourself.

Finally, after the feasts were over

Spider's son and daughter came looking for him.

Father?

Father!

( Groaning )

( Gasps ) ( gasps )

Hurry! Remove the ropes!

And as it turned out, all that tugging and pulling

Had left spider with an entirely new shape.

Oh... Oh!

And from then on

Whenever the creatures of the jungle saw the spider

They were reminded of how hard it is

To be in two places at one time.

I'll say. Try being at baseball practice

When you're supposed to be working

On a book report.

Yeah. That old spider

Sure got nowhere fast.

You mean, like you?

For your information, ari

I'm not trying to get anywhere.

I'm just having fun.

That's what I'm having, too.

I'm not standing around

Waiting for something to happen like that spider.

I'm making things happen.

I'm learning to be a great fastball pitcher.

You are, and that's great

But did you forget something else?

My grades, I suppose.

( Sniffing )

Mmm...

Something sure smells good.

Oh! Oh, boy! Cookies!

Yeah, I brought them to, um...

Uh, celebrate our report cards.

Yeah, but in the case of my report card

There's nothing to celebrate.

You can always have one to cheer you up.

Thanks.

Mm-mmm.

Yeah, works for me.

Thanks, zach.

A whole bunch.

Mmm, this is good.

This is very good.

Aah! Didn't anyone ever teach you

Not to talk with your mouth full?

( Loud gulp )

Who said my mouth is full?

Oh! You're impossible.

Ah... Mmm.

( Straining )

Huh! Huh?

( Grunting )

Oops.

Aha! Caught you red-handed, you-you...

Cookie confiscator, you!

I'm not! It's not my fault, I tell you.

I'm innocent.

I was just counting them

And my hand got stuck.

Uh-huh? Well, if I were you, I'd let go of some of them!

Let go?!

Yeah. If you take just one

You'll be able

To get your hand out.

Hey, my hand's out.

It's a miracle-- a miracle, I tell you!

And I still have a cookie.

Aurora: oh, enjoy it, sock

But, you know, you don't have to eat them all.

What's wrong with... Eating them all?

Well, too much of anything

Isn't good for you.

Oh, I guess so.

Zach has a point.

Sometimes, in wanting more, you could lose it all.

What?! Lose my cookies?!

If you ask me, he lost them long ago.

( Chuckles )

Or you could lose anything that's important to you.

That's why practicing moderation is so important.

Why do I get the feeling

They are also talking to me?

This reminds me of another story.

Ah, yes. Here it is.

It's an aesop fable

Called "the goose that laid the golden eggs."

What do eggs have to do with cookies?

Or baseball?

Actually, these golden eggs have everything to do

With the importance of moderation.

Once upon a time, there lived a farmer and his wife.

They worked very hard

Tilling their fields and tending their animals.

And all of their hard work paid off, too

For it seemed to them

That they always had plenty of money to spend.

Timber!

( Chuckling ): oh, you silly, dear.

Now, see what I've cooked for us.

( Tittering )

Mmm...

Mmm...

( Chortles )

It looks delicious--

And quite expensive, I might add.

Oh, it was, and...

( Giggles )

These were, too.

Ooh!

To the last morsel?

To the last morsel.

( Both smacking lips )

Well, the farmer and his wife ate and ate

Until even the smallest morsel was gobbled up.

( Gulping )

Ah...

Oh. My dear...

( Giggles )

I simply must show you what I bought.

It's marvelous

And certainly just what you've always needed.

( Laughs )

And now, for me.

( Laughing )

Ooh! How pretty.

And it's not at all

Like your other four watches.

So, day after day, the farmer and his wife

Went on eating too much and overspending

Until one day, all their money was gone.

Oh!

My dear, uh, wh-where is all our money?

Well, how should I know?

I thought you were keeping track of it.

Me? But I thought you were.

So, without any more money, the farmer and his wife

Had to work even harder than before just to make ends meet.

But then, one day...

( Gasps )

Husband!

Come quick!

Hurry!

( Panting )

What is it, dear?

Look!

Dinner! Dinner!

Here, goosey, goosey, goosey.

Won't you make a perfectly scrumptious dinner!

And I'm so hungry.

Did that goose just lay a golden egg?

It's gold, all right!

Well, when the bank gave

The farmer and his wife

Lots of money for the golden egg

They were delighted to go back

To their old ways of eating and spending freely.

Then, the very next day

The goose laid yet another golden egg.

Husband, why fix

That old ax

When we can simply buy a new one?

In fact, we can buy a dozen if we like.

You're right, dear.

Perhaps we should take the egg

To the bank right now.

( Mischievously ): I feel a shopping spree coming on.

So, with a new golden egg being laid every day

The farmer and his wife

Began to spend

Like never before.

Mmm... Mmm.

My dear, I was thinking.

Why should we settle for only a single golden egg a day?

Why?

Well, because the goose only lays one egg a day.

Precisely.

The goose is lazy.

She's holding out on us.

Why, you're right.

I never thought of it that way.

What should we do?

I say we cut her open and remove all her eggs.

That way, we can spend all we want

Without having to wait another day.

So, the farmer and his wife

k*lled the goose that laid the golden eggs

But when they cut her open

There were no more eggs.

Oh!

( Sniffles )

How horrible.

( Sobbing )

I just hate sad endings so...

( Sobbing )

Me, too.

( Blowing nose )

Give me that!

It was definitely sad for the goose

But it was also sad for the farmer and his wife.

I mean, they went overboard and lost everything.

Yes. If they had practiced moderation

They could have had the best of both worlds:

The goose and the golden eggs.

You mean like annie.

Like me? What do you mean?

You're really smart, and you're a great pitcher.

You've just been so into baseball

That you forgot to pay attention to school.

I've been so focused on my games

I've practically ignored my homework.

If I practice moderation

There's no reason I can't do well in school

And play baseball, too.

Sounds reasonable to me.

My grandpa always tells me

Native-american stories about walking in balance

But I never really understood them until now.

Right now, I'll head home

And get my grades back in balance.

But isn't there a baseball game

On the tube tonight?

I'll just tape it on my vcr and watch it this weekend.

Well, bye, everybody.

Good luck. See you later, annie.

And thanks.

I bet annie gets her grades back

Up in no time.

I bet she does, too.

Do you think she'll still play great baseball?

Huh!

Of course she will.

This is a...

Huh?

Oh!

Oh, um... I can't believe I ate the whole thing.

Ari: hey, hey, hey!

You just come back here, mr. Socrates!

Annie understands moderation

But I think sock still needs some work.

( Laughing )

♪ Easy

♪ Easy does it ♪

♪ Easy ♪

♪ There's so much in this great big world ♪

♪ To see and to do ♪

♪ Let moderation be your guide in everything you choose ♪

♪ You choose...

( Sighs )

♪ Easy ♪

♪ Easy does it ♪

♪ We can't have only fun things filling up our time ♪

♪ You know easy does it ♪

♪ Moderation is your guide in life ♪

♪ All play and no work can tear your life apart ♪

♪ Don't let a good thing go too far ♪

♪ Say easy, easy does it ♪

♪ Easy, easy does it. ♪