Annoyed with Google single sign-on

UPDATE: It seems that Blogger deleted this post somehow.. here it is again. Sorry!

Google let users register for a "Google Account" which they can use to sign in to Gmail, Google Analytics, Google Reader, and all the other Google services.

Single sign on has great benefits: there's only one username and password to remember, it eliminates the hassle of registering for new services, and no need to manage separate user profiles. I think it's great for usability, when done correctly.

However, the most annoying "feature" of the Google system is that when you click "Sign Out" on ANY Google application, it logs you out of *ALL* of their applications.

Here is what frequently happens to me: I'm catching up on my blog reading on Reader when I decide to check my Gmail. I go to gmail.com, and instantly my inbox is displayed, since I'm already signed on via Reader. Awesome. When I'm finished reading my email, I instinctively click "Sign Out", close the tab, and go back to Google Reader.

All of the sudden, it stops working. No new stories come up. It gives me an error message: "Oops...an error occurred. Please try again in a few seconds."

?!?!?!

Waiting a few seconds isnt going to magically log me back into their application. The least they can do is tell me that I've been accidentally signed out and prompt me for password again. It actually took me a little while to figure out that the "single sign-out" feature was the cause of my problem.

I agree this is partially caused by my own habits-- but who would have thought that a system meant to increase usability would cause such an annoying user experience?