FunctionFlip turned out to be my solution. I like the media keys on my MacBook keyboard - just not all of them. Fat-fingered that I am, I regularly skip tracks when I just want to pause. Disabling all of the keys just won't do, because I use the brightness and volume keys every day.
FunctionFlip individually controls your Macbook or Macbook Pro's function keys, turning special keys back to regular F-keys, or vice-versa.
FunctionFlip requires that "Enable access for assistive devices" be checked on the Universal Access pane in System Preferences.
