Wait, 47 tries and you didn't crop it right the first time?

So did they actually carbon date the tool marks or just eyeball it?

Man, that is rough but I totally get it. I did something similar with my sourdough starter for like a whole year before I figured out I was measuring the flour wrong. It is so easy to just get into a rhythm and not double check things, especially when you are feeling confident after a few batches. At least you caught it eventually, and now your salsa is probably way better for it. That is a solid 30 batches of learning right there.

My buddy Ryan tried it a few weeks later actually. Said it worked okay but nothing mind blowing. He went back to his usual stuff though.

Yeah my buddy's dad who's a potter said something kind of similar once. He was throwing a vase and my art came up, and he goes "everything looks like you planned it, there's no fight in it." A potter telling me about fighting with my medium made me start using those messy textured brushes I always ignored.