Verify email address for Community for first time sometimes doesn't work

I got stuck in a string of trying to create a new post, got the 'verify your email address, we sent an email, click the link' sequence which kept sending me back to the site but straight into my Workflowy list.  I'd go to the tab that had the Community open and click the "New Post" button again and it just went back to the verify email again and 17 emails and verifications later, something went different and I got to the new post page.  I wasn't going fast: I gave it some time (to presumably update some database somewhere) several times in the sequence.

Maybe this is a zendesk problem.  I've used other communities that used zendesk and don't remember having a similar issue but it could be the current versions in place have the issue?