PA32 PLT FINDS THAT AN INST RATING DOES NOT MAKE A PROFICIENT INST PLT; CONFLICTING WITH AN SFO ARR.

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THIS MAY NOT COUNT AS A SIGNIFICANT MISTAKE OR INCIDENT; BUT I THOUGHT THAT IT MIGHT BE USEFUL TO WRITE UP ANYWAY. APOLOGIES IF IT'S NOT RELEVANT. I PASSED MY INST CHK RIDE -- ON THE FIRST ATTEMPT. I CELEBRATED BY FLYING FROM SQL TO BUR WITH MY WIFE FOR A DAY'S OUTING. THE WX WAS FORECAST VFR; WITH SOME SCATTERED CLOUDS AT SQL; BUT I FILED IFR TO BEGIN TO GET PRACTICE IN THE ATC SYS IN FORGIVING METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS. I GOT FLUSTERED WHEN MY CLRNC DIFFERED SIGNIFICANTLY FROM WHAT I HAD FILED. THIS WAS A GOOD OBJECT LESSON IN HOW FLYING IFR ISN'T THE SAME AS GPS/DIRECT UNDER VFR; AND; AFTER 2 TRIES; I GOT THE LENGTHY CLRNC READBACK CORRECTLY. I WAS VERY TENSE TAKING OFF. I FELT BAD THAT I HADN'T GOTTEN THE READBACK 100% CORRECT ON THE FIRST TRY; WANTING TO APPEAR CALM AND IN CTL FOR MY WIFE; AND A VERY NERVOUS PAX. THE DEP PORTION OF THE CLRNC WAS 'MAINTAIN RWY HDG UNTIL PAST THE DIAMOND-SHAPED WATERWAY; TURN R HDG 120 WITHIN 2 MI OF THE ARPT. MAINTAIN VFR AT OR BELOW 1100 FT UNTIL XING THE OAKLAND VOR 165 DEG RADIAL; THEN MAINTAIN 2000 FT; EXPECT 12000 FT 10 MINS AFTER DEP.' ATIS WAS RPTING SCATTERED CLOUDS AT 1100 FT. THIS CLRNC IS ESSENTIALLY A R DOWNWIND DEP USING RWY 30 AT SQL. I REHEARSED THE DEP IN MY MIND FOR A COUPLE OF MINS; KNOWING THAT; ON THE CLB TO 2000 FT I MIGHT ENCOUNTER IMC FOR A FEW MOMENTS. MY TRAINING HAD ONLY .1 HRS OF ACTUAL IMC; AND I'VE AGREED WITH MY INSTRUCTOR TO FIND SOME HARD IMC WHEN THE WX CHANGES AND FLY IT WITH HIM BEFORE ATTEMPTING IT MYSELF. I DIDN'T FIND THE PROSPECT OF 5 SECONDS OF IMC FRIGHTENING; BUT I WANTED TO BE MENTALLY PREPARED FOR IT. ON DEP; I CLBED TO 1000 FT; BELOW SOME VERY WISPY CLOUDS; WHILE EXECUTING MY R TURN TO 120 DEGS. WHEN ADVISED BY SQL TWR; I CHANGED TO BAY DEP. ON INITIAL CONTACT; THE BAY CTLR GAVE ME AN IMMEDIATE TA. I'M NOT 100% SURE THAT I REMEMBER IT EXACTLY; BUT I BELIEVE THAT IT WAS SOMETHING LIKE 'BOEING 737 ON APCH TO SAN FRANCISCO AT 10 O'CLOCK POS AND 2000 FT.' I AUTOMATICALLY LOOKED IN THAT DIRECTION AND SAW NOTHING BUT PUFFY WHITE CLOUDS; ABOUT 1/2 - 1 MI AWAY. I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO SAY. I INTENDED TO COME BACK WITH THE USUAL 'LOOKING' OR 'TFC IN SIGHT;' BUT I MUST HAVE HAD A BRAIN CRAMP; BECAUSE ALL I COULD THINK OF TO SAY WAS 'I'M IN IMC.' OF COURSE; I WASN'T. I THINK THAT I EQUATED THE CLOUDS BTWN ME AND THE OTHER TFC AS 'IMC;' AND WAS LOST FOR THE RIGHT WORDS. ON REFLECTION; I SHOULD HAVE SAID 'CLOUDS IN THAT DIRECTION; UNABLE TO SEE TFC.' THE CTLR SOUNDED MILDLY ANNOYED AND SAID SOMETHING LIKE 'WASN'T YOUR CLRNC TO MAINTAIN VFR DOWNWIND?' AT THAT POINT; I WAS ABEAM THE RWY NUMBERS; IE; XING THE OAK 165 DEG RADIAL; AND ENTERING SOME VERY FAINT AND WISPY STRANDS OF FOG/CLOUD; SO I REPLIED 'ER; JUST ENTERING IMC NOW.' I THINK THAT I WASN'T EVEN THEN TECHNICALLY IN IMC; BECAUSE THESE WERE JUST WISPS OF MIST. THE CTLR SEEMED TO SIGH; GAVE ME A HDG AND ALT AND HANDED ME OFF. GIVEN THAT; FOR ME AT LEAST; THIS WAS AN INTENSE WORKLOAD SIT. I ONLY REALIZED MY ERROR WHEN I LANDED AT BUR AND WAS REVIEWING THE FLT IN MY MIND. I WAS UPSET THAT I'D ANNOYED THE CTLR; AND CALLED BAY APCH TO APOLOGIZE; AND SOMEONE TOOK MY MESSAGE AND SEEMED TO THINK THAT IT WASN'T A BIG DEAL. WHAT CAUSED THE PROB? ENCOUNTERING A NEW SIT FOR THE FIRST TIME; IN A HIGH WORKLOAD SIT; AND NOT KNOWING HOW TO DEAL WITH IT. I'VE NEVER HAD A TA IN A CLOUDY ENVIRONMENT; BECAUSE I'VE ALSO FLOWN VERY CONSERVATIVE VFR UNTIL TODAY. ON MY FIRST IFR FLT WITHOUT AN INSTRUCTOR; I WAS RIGHT AT MY MENTAL LIMIT AND THE SLIGHT DISTR OF A (NON URGENT) TA OVERLOADED MY BRAIN. WHAT DID I LEARN? WHEN YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT TO SAY USING THE PROPER TERMINOLOGY; JUST USE PLAIN ENGLISH. I ALSO LEARNED THAT A SIMPLE IFR FLT CAN BE VERY STRESSFUL WHEN YOU'RE NOT EXPERIENCED. I WAS EXTREMELY UPSET WHEN I REALIZED MY ERROR; AND IT RUINED MY DAY. IT TOOK A CELL PHONE CONVERSATION WITH MY INSTRUCTOR TO REASSURE ME THAT IT WASN'T A BIG DEAL AND TO CALM ME DOWN FOR THE RETURN FLT WHICH; AS FAR AS I CAN TELL; WENT PERFECTLYAND WAS VERY SATISFYING. HE ADVISED ME TO DOCUMENT THIS FOR THE NASA PROGRAM TO GET IT OUT OF MY SYS. ON REFLECTION; I WAS OVERLY UPSET BY A SMALL SLIP OF THE TONGUE BECAUSE I WAS STRESSED BY THIS APPARENTLY STRAIGHTFORWARD FLT. THIS REINFORCES WHAT I KNEW ALREADY: THAT IT WILL TAKE MANY; MANY MORE HRS OF TRAINING AND PRACTICE TO ACHIEVE THE STANDARDS OF PROFICIENCY THAT I ADMIRE IN OTHERS; SUCH AS MY INSTRUCTOR.