Mom of 2.5 - I wear a teeny bikini and have sensitive skin, so I'll chime in on this one. Those little personal trimmer things (sort of like mini electric clippers) are good for bikini area. They fairly safely trim hair to very short so that there are no "curlies" peeking out of the swimsuit... Then she could *carefully* and with lots of shave foam touch up the edges where the swimsuit doesn't quite cover... Advise her to shave WITH the direction of hair growth though, or she may get monster razor burn. Veet would work on the edges of the "triangle" area up top, but no where near any "pink bits"!!! If she has sensitive skin, she may get a rash from it, so I'd advise Veeting a good week before she planned to wear a swimsuit. Or, if she just has a few little stragglers outside the swimsuit once she was all trimmed, a pair of tweezers works nicely, although slightly painfully. If she has a bathroom drawer, I think I would just buy her a personal trimmer, and put it in there with a note saying "This is for trimming your bikini area before you wear a swimsuit. Be very careful so that you don't cut yourself! And come to me if you have any questions!" At 13, I bet if you provide her the "equipment" she'll figure it out on her own.

Have a wonderful trip...we'll be thinking about you and missing you!! Be careful, we want you home with lotsa' tales to tell! J

Ann - I haven't experimented a ton, honestly, but what I have found is we're happier with a steak that has been cooked for an hour versus one that's sat for a couple hours or more. The notion of "can't overcook" holds true for temperature only, not texture, hence my sticking to minimal cooking times now. IMO and IME of course. From the results in my own kitchen, we'd prefer say a thick strip steak perfectly cooked with conventional methods than sous vide, but for us "perfectly cooked" means primarily medium rare throughout, and that can be slightly tricky to perfect. If we preferred a rare center like you do, I wouldn't bother with SV. My favorite application is probably thick cut pork chops. With pork I'm not interested in a temperature gradient, I want the center cooked and the outer sections not dried out. Pretty foolproof with SV, and I've not experienced the textural issues I have with beef. Another success has been lobster. While I find the low temps often recommended off-putting, using the high end I can thoroughly cook the meat without risking the outer parts getting overcooked. Of course these are obstacles that a decent cook can overcome, SV just makes it brainless once you nail down your preferred time and temp. As of yet I've not found anything that I prefer specifically because it was cooked sous vide, just things that are easier not to mess up using it.

I wanted to start around 11-12, when I became aware of it and my friends started shaving their legs. I remember my mom said I was not allowed until I was 13, and she wouldn't budge on that. And I didn't dare disobey her, even though it was terrible living in California in long pants! If I have a daughter I'll let her shave her legs at a reasonable age. I've never cut myself shaving. I guess the razors now are safer? I'm cringing at some of these stories!