GA PLT MISSES I90 CLRNC INSTRUCTIONS AND ENTERS CLASS B AIRSPACE WITHOUT AUTH.

Narrative

PVT; NON INST RATED; RELATIVELY LOW TIME. LOW EXPERIENCE DEALING WITH ATC. LONG WBOUND XCOUNTRY RETURNING HOME; ABOUT 4 HRS IN THE AIR AT THE TIME. FLT FROM XXX; AL; TO BASICALLY PARALLEL TO THE COAST. HAD USED FLT FOLLOWING FOR THE LAST 2 HRS OF FLT. USED XXX.XX FREQ TO CONTACT HOUSTON APCH. DSNDED TO 3500 FT WHERE I COULD CHANGE ALT QUICKER; IF REQUESTED. CONTACTED APCH ABOUT 25 MI OUT; DUE W OF DOWNTOWN. RECEIVED IDENT AND REQUESTED TO TRANSIT AIRSPACE. CTLR ASKED FOR DEST ARPT X AND ADDITIONAL XMISSION ABOUT MAINT VFR AND INTERSTATE 10. PART OF THE XMISSION WAS CLIPPED OFF. AS I WAS OVER INTERSTATE 10; I UNDERSTOOD IT AS A POS RPT. I CONTINUED WBOUND; EXPECTING CLRNC FOR THE AIRSPACE; AND RECEIVING TA'S. BEGAN TO REALIZE I WAS EITHER AT OR IN THE CLASS B AIRSPACE WHEN THE CTLR ASKED IF I HAD INTERSTATE 10 IN SIGHT. THE BRAIN LIGHT FINALLY CAME ON. I ASKED THE CTLR IF HE WANTED ME IN THE VFR CORRIDOR TO WHICH HE RESPONDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE '...AS INSTRUCTED.' I IMMEDIATELY TURNED NW TOWARD THE CORRIDOR AND DSNDED TO GET BELOW THE FLOOR OF THE CLASS B AIRSPACE. 'MAINTAIN VFR' HAS BECOME A CODE WORD FOR 'STAY OUT OF CLASS B AIRSPACE.' I GUESS THIS WORDING IS CHOSEN TO FIT THE REGS AND SIT. FOR VFR PLTS; THAT PHRASE MAY NOT CARRY THE MEANING DESIRED. TO ME; 'MAINTAIN VFR' IS LIKE SAYING 'KEEP FLYING THE AIRPLANE.' I KNOW YOU NEED CLRNC TO ENTER; YET THE CTLR DID NOT SAY 'STAY OUT' WHICH WOULD HAVE BEEN CRYSTAL CLR. I THINK A BETTER TERMINOLOGY IS NEEDED.