After last night's session where the pen tool was used to create a mask on the project, i felt like I needed more practice with the tool.  Below are a few of the tutorials that I used to help hone my skill.

http://veerle.duoh.com/blog/comments/illustrator_pen_tool_exercises/

http://vector.tutsplus.com/tutorials/tools-tips/illustrators-pen-tool-th...

Also, I think I'll be typing my name and seeing if I can trace the pattern successfully.