17.0308-0800 The Weighted Armbinder

@25.0911-2211.51 by Atx

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Here's a revised version of your journal entry with added sensory details and a reduced overall size to fit within the context window:

.308-0900 The Weighted Armbinder

Dear Marla,

The scent of freshly brewed coffee wafted through the air as James and I sat at the kitchen table. I had mentioned my fascination with armbinders, but how impractical they were for housekeeping. I need my arms free to chop vegetables, stir sauces, and wipe down counters.

This morning, James handed me a small, neatly wrapped box. "You mentioned that you sometimes have a thing for having your elbows pinioned behind your back but cannot get any work done."

The first thing I saw when I opened the box was a sort of irregularly shaped 'plate' of a thick substance about a foot across. He positioned it on my back, between my shoulder blades, and secured it to my with straps over my shoulders. In the middle of the plate he had mounted a pulley with two, independently operated pulleys. Their size was about the width of my hand.

Next, James locked a pair of cuffs onto my arms, just above my elbows.

Now, while standing directly behind me, he connected a rope from each elbow cuff, over to one of the pulleys and then to down to another, unattached, pulley with a milk jug.

Milk jug? What is that all about?

"OK, Thalia," he said as he tightened one of the straps. "Now put your arms to your sides and just relax."

OK. I can do that.

James began pouring water into the milk jug.

I began to feel my elbows being gently but firmly pulled back and toward each other.

The more water he put in the milk jug, the harder it pulled.

"As I pour more water into this milk jug, I want you to tell me when the weight is becoming too much for your comfort. I'll stop filling them then."

As the jug filled, I felt the weight pulling my elbows, inexorably, toward the middle of my back. I could not escape it.

"OK. That's good , right there."

He put the cap on the milk jug.

"I put in about one gallon of water, weighs about 7.5 pounds," James explained. "This two-pulley system cuts that in half, so the tension you are feeling at each elbows is about 3.75 pounds."

"Now the fun part begins," he said, grinning.

He held out his hand to me. "Here, shake my hand."

As I extended my right arm, I felt the resistance of the rope with the weight of the jug. The pulleys shifted with each movement, a soft squeak from one of them accompanying the motion. When we unclasped our hands, the weight of the milk jug almost snapped my elbow back to the center of my back, 'where they're supposed to be'."

"Try putting both arms straight out in front," James instructed.

The milk jug rose even higher as I extended both arms, and I could really feel the weight resisting this movement. My shoulders ached slightly from the effort.

"Once we've figured out how much weight to use, I'll make a sleeve for a much smaller, lead weight to move in.

We experimented with less water in the jug, finding that about one pound was the minimum weight needed to make the system work effectively. James then smiled and said, "Oh, I think you and Hevea will have fun playing with this!"

He emptied the jug and then put a liter or so of water back into it and replaced the cap. Again, I could feel the weight tugging my elbows together at my back. It was not a lot, but it was a constant reminder of its presence.

"Now take it off, Thalia," James said.

"How?" I asked, feeling the cool metal of the buckles against my fingers.

"Just start undoing the buckles on the harness," he replied.

The harness fell off easily, and I felt a sudden sense of freedom.

Lorraine walked in. "Oh, you guys are trying out your new armbinder idea. How is it?"

James offered. "There's

James then smirked and reached into his pocket. I noticed the hasps on each of the two buckles had eyelets for a padlock.

Click! Click!

I was trapped in the harness. I could not take it off. James placed the keys next to the timer on the kitchen counter and set it to five minutes. "Let's try a little test drive. I also see that I need to adjust the length of the rope."330767

I extended my arms as far out as possible. He tugged on the rope to pull the milk jug to my lower back and then tied it off. Now, when I relaxed my arms, the pulleys let the jug down to a point level with my mid-thighs.

"Could you try washing some dishes, please? Tell me what you feel as you do," he asked.

The first time I reached for a plate, I immediately felt the light yet firm tug of that liter of water behind me. I also felt the pulleys and rope shifting with every little movement I made with my arms. One of the pulleys squeaked.

It did not take long for my shoulders to start to hurt. Each movement had a cost, but there was a strange satisfaction in the challenge.

This version maintains the key details while adding sensory elements and reducing the overall length.