Alright. If you tried activating while you weren’t home, then the IP address isn’t matching. I’m going to send both links to you again. Activate, and then reset your password. Use a new password, not one that Google or another browser makes up for you. The password needs to be at least 12 but not more than 18 letters and/or numbers only—no spaces, punctuation, or special characters. If the password is too short or too long, the reset will fail. If the password has any punctuation or special characters, the reset will fail.
You log out by clicking the LOGOUT link at the upper right corner of the archive home page. Then you can log in again using your email address and password. You may not need to do that, but it has helped with other members trying to reset a password. I think, however, that if you reactivate and then set a new password, it should work.