Ok im running gentoo 2004.3 64 bit so it might not be the most stable system in the world, but when i run k3b the menu with file, edit and all that good stuff stays at the top covering the gnome menu and the ok, cancel, etc.. buttons in dialog boxes look like theyre from some weird theme that ive never seen in k3b. the menu at the top only covers up the gnome menu when i run it as root, but the same weird theme is there. Also unrelated and not as importand every single time i starty k3b it asks me to verify the speed of one of my burners.

I also get the issue of it asking me the speed of one of my burners, so I can tell you it's not just your machine. Though mine is Gentoo 2004.3 (on x86 though).

mine did that on x86 too, what kind of burner do you have?

It's some cheap generic drive, but here's the relevant information:
dmesg output:I think it's probably from Mad Dog Multimedia.

mine is also a cheap generic drive, that may have something to do with it. its only a cd burner though, my dvd burner doesnt do it. im guessing no one has the answer to my real question huh.