python mysqldb timestamp/unix_timestamp issue

Question

trying to understand the subtleties of inserting data into a mysql tbl when dealing with unix_timestamp, and the timestamp def within the tbl

using python v2.6, using the mysqldb lib

i'm consistently getting the err/warning: TypeError: not all arguments converted during string formatting

the test tbl looks like:
DROP TABLE IF EXISTS `functionError_TBL`;
CREATE TABLE `functionError_TBL` (
  `parentFunction` varchar(100) NOT NULL default '',
  `currentFunction` varchar(100) NOT NULL default '',
  `parentFunctionID` int(10) NOT NULL default 0,
  `errorStatus` int(1) NOT NULL default 0,
  `clientServerUUID` varchar(100) NOT NULL default '',
  `processTime` timestamp NOT NULL default 0,
  `CollegeID` int(10) NOT NULL default 0,
  `CrawlID` varchar(200) NOT NULL default '',
  `CollegeName` varchar(200) NOT NULL default '',
  `CollegeAbbrv` varchar(200) NOT NULL default '',
  .
  .

the test script looks like . . tlist= [(1, 1281502771, 1)]

  ins="insert into functionError_TBL "
  ins=ins+"(errorStatus,processTime, CollegeID)"
  ins=ins+" values "
  ins=ins+" (%s,from_unixtime(%s), %s)"
  db.executemany (ins, tlist)

i can insert a single val (either the time, or the int) with no issue, inserting multiple vals that include the timeval generates the error... testing has indicated that i can have multiple fields that don't include the time, which work as well... so the issue really appears to point to the "from_unixtime" conversion within the paramaterization process.

removing the "from_unixtime, generates another type of err, " Warning: Data truncated.. " due to the timestamp. i really would like to understand what's going on here..

thoughts on how to resolve this would be greatly appreciated.

thanks

***UPDATE::::: after more testing, it appears that something is happening with the parameter process.. if I change everything, to have the parameter process have the "from_unixtime(%s) at the end of the parameter placeholders.. and change the insert fields/data correspondingly, everything works...

so the issue is what/how does the "from_unixtime(%s)" have to be wrapped to work when it's used in a separate location within the placeholder portion of the insert...

thanks