Wait, did you actually test the grain direction before you started cutting, or did you just assume the stack was oriented the same way every time? In my experience most paper comes with the grain running the long way on a full sheet, so if you were cutting spine liners from strips that were already cut down, the grain could have flipped without you noticing. Before I blame eight months of bindings, I would check a few scraps from different batches, because maybe it was only the last few weeks that got messed up. Take this with a grain of salt but the bend test is still the easiest one, just flex the scrap both ways and the way it bends easier is the grain direction.

Wow, what happens when a morning job runs long, you just push them to the next day?

Two inches off corner to corner on anchor bolts is wild. That's the kind of miss that doesn't show up until the steel won't line up and then everybody's standing around pointing fingers. Good thing your old man's tape measure wisdom didn't win that argument.