Here's an update from today. The last time I trimmed the length of my goatee was prior to a trip I took before Christmas in 2010 and it was a bit long then, so that means this is roughly 28 months of growth:I've updated my technique to make things a little easier.I no longer start out with the dual-ponytails because it was overkill and a pain, so what I do now is create a single small ponytail right at the bottom center of the goatee. Once I create it I then gather a little bit of the hairs around the edge of the goatee and join that into the ponytail with a second rubber band. Since this is the anchor point I like to make sure it has 2 bands just in case one break. Sometimes I grab hairs from the entire boundary and sometimes I just grab a few near the bottom. The hairs around the edge seem to cooperate the least so the logic is that this helps tie them down, but since I grew a short beard around the goatee those strays are harder to see anyway. BTW: These bands should be tight and close to the skin.Once again I create a big ponytail close against the skin on the lower chin. It is created with a loosely bound rubber band that allows the hairs within it to move and the other ponytail is contained within this one. Once created, I push in from the back and build a little pouch from the back of the ponytail between the underside of the chin and the binding rubber band. Avoid pushing the outer hairs too far outward: the key is to push the hairs in the back down and against the ones in the front while moving the ones in the front as little as possible. Periodically press the binding rubber band of the big ponytail onto the binding rubberband of the little ponytail to get an impression of what the final goatee will look like.After the pouch is created, I apply another band to strengthen the hold on the ponytail and I bind up the goatee in a loose braid to control the hairs. Since I have not trimmed the length I have no clean end of the hairs so I wrap those hairs up and tie them with the white band you see there. Also, at the top of the braid I loosely add another band to hold down the stray hairs that poke out. Those hairs will show if not controlled.At the top of the braid flip the braid 180 degrees and band it together creating a small nub. After this stuff the braid into the pouch created earlier, run a zip tie through the base of the original mini-ponytail and use it to secure the nub you just created.Final ProductBuy a decent digital camera or learn how to use this one! I get great accurate shots with the flash but the shadow the flash creates in photos like these is often distracting. If I use low-light settings I get photos that are grainy and might as well be cellphone shots.