Using parentheses when needed is a good idea. (Using) (them) (unnecessarily) (makes) (for) (hard) (to) (read) (code).
If a function expects an int, and you supply something else, it will be implicitly cast to an int. It is not necessary for you to explicitly cast to an int.
but I can't draw the line. Something silly going on, I'm sure
But, you're not about to tell us what that is, I see. Well, good luck.