Hi BlackBird, also one technique that you want to use commonly in NURBS modeling is to build a larger more extended initial shape and then apply cuts to that shape to make some of the final edges in your model.

Many times people with a polygon modeling background have some difficulty in approaching a model in this way, often times people with a poly background try to build an initial curve structure that may include some irregular outlines in it and try to avoid using booleans.

But with NURBS modeling booleans and trimming should become more of the main strategy used for construction and not something to avoid as in a poly modeler.

It's easier to recognize that a inside hole should be a booleaned out piece, but also the same kind of technique applies to the outer boundary of a shape as well which is kind of harder for many poly modelers to recognize.

Here are some links to some discussions on this kind of fundamental NURBS technique of creating extended pieces and then cutting them to produce the final model, browsing these links may help:
http://moi3d.com/forum/index.php?webtag=MOI&msg=3855.7
http://moi3d.com/forum/index.php?webtag=MOI&msg=3855.9

- Michael