I deleted cookies, rebooted, and I still couldn't register. But I kept coming back to read. I can't swear to it, but the first (several) times around, I don't think it said that the date it was looking for was our birth date. I kept putting in today's date (thinking it was the 'Joined' date), and I kept getting the message that I couldn't register at this time. So, when I saw this thread, I put in my birthday, and here I am.
Another problem I had was that there was no option for my signature, or for me to bring in my avatar. But it's all good now.
Thanks for straightening me out!