ACR FLC MISSES ATC FREQ CHANGE AND THEN OVERLOOKS AN ACARS MESSAGE.

Narrative

A FLT ATTENDANT WAS COMING IN AND OUT OF COCKPIT AND CAPT WAS MAINTAINING AN ON AGAIN/OFF AGAIN CONVERSATION WITH HER. HE WAS MAINTAINING RADIO WATCH; AND I WAS TRYING TO DO SO ALSO. IT SOUNDED AS IF CTR WAS CONDUCTING TRAINING AT THIS POS AS I BELIEVE THERE WERE SOMETIMES 2 SEPARATE VOICES ON SAME FREQ. APCHING OUR TOD POINT; I SAID TO CAPT (WHO WAS TALKING TO FLT ATTENDANT) I'LL CALL FOR LOWER NOW; AT WHICH POINT I WAS QUERIED ABOUT OUR POS. I STATED HOLLY 7 INTXN NW OF VUZ AND WAS GIVEN FREQ CHANGE TO ZME. AFTER PUSHING ACARS BUTTON FOR ARR INFO; I FOUND A MESSAGE FROM MEM RAMP TWR TO CONTACT CTR ON XXX.XX. I QUERIED CAPT; HE NEVER ANSWERED WHY I HADN'T HEARD ACARS ALERT OR HE HAD SHOWN ME MESSAGE. I SUSPECT HE MUST HAVE PICKED UP MESSAGE WHILE I HAD PULLED OUT AN APCH PLATE BOOK AND DIDN'T HEAR ACARS ALERT. (ASSUMING ALSO THAT ATC FORGOT ABOUT US; AS I'M SURE I DIDN'T HEAR THEM GIVE FREQ CHANGE OR SUBCONSCIOUSLY IGNORED IT AFTER NOTING IT WAS PICKED UP.) AFTER WHICH HE FORGOT TO CALL CTR; AND DIDN'T INFORM ME OF MESSAGE. BAD COCKPIT RESOURCE MGMNT. MORAL: EVEN THOUGH WE GET HUNDREDS OF TURB PLT RPTS ON ACARS; DINGING THAT ALERT BELL FOR AREAS NOT APPLICABLE TO OUR FLT; AND LEARN TO SELECTIVELY 'TUNE THEM OUT' WHEN NOT NECESSARY; ALWAYS LOOK THEM OVER. NEVER ASSUME OTHER PLT WILL ALWAYS DO WHAT THEY SAY.