Wicket TextArea - Current Buffer Size?

[Corbin, James]

Is it possible to get the current character count from a TextArea component in 
Wicket by attaching an AjaxEventBehavior?
I successfully capture an onkeypress event, but not sure how I am supposed to 
get the raw input in the TextArea.
I know that the model won't be updated until the post has occurred, but 
wondered if there was any way (wicket or otherwise) to get the current text 
that has been entered into the control?
J.D.