DNS problem figured out
thanks to caker i was able to figure out that you can make your own nameservers (ns1.yourdomain.com ns2.yourdomain.com) in godaddy.
it is NOT the "total dns control"
it is in the lower left corner when you click on a domain.
look for:
Host Summary
There are no domain hosts on file.
View/Modify Detail
click view/modify detail
make ns1 and ns2 or whatever you want and point them to the ip of your linode.
when you are done, make sure you click on nameservers and use the new ones you just created for that domain and any others on that linode.
whew. thanks caker.
ryan.