MD80 CREW HAD TRACK DEV IN ZLA CLASS A.

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COURSE DEV. DUE TO CLOUD DEVS PRIOR TO THERMAL I SWITCHED FROM GFMS TO HEADING SELECT AND SET AN OUTBOUND HEADING OF 078 DEGS TO INTERCEPT J169 TO BLYTHE. AFTER ANSWERING A CALL FROM THE CABIN I STARTED TO REPROGRAM THE GFMS TO INTERCEPT J169. THE FO NOTED WE WERE DRIFTING N OFF COURSE DUE TO A 52 KT XWIND. I SELECTED A HEADING OF 095 DEGS TO CORRECT BACK ON COURSE AND THEN ZLA TOLD US TO TURN TO A 350 DEG HDG AND EXPEDITE CLB TO FL330. ZLA ALSO TOLD ACR AIRLINES 'HEADING IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION;' TO TURN TO A HEADING OF 350 DEGS. WE WERE INFORMED OF THEIR POS AND SAW THEM E OF OUR POS AND DSNDING. ACR ALSO STATED THAT WE WERE IN SIGHT. ONCE PROPER SEPARATION WAS DETERMINED WE WERE VECTORED BACK ON COURSE. SUMMARY: I SHOULD HAVE NOTED THE WINDS WHEN SELECTING A HEADING OUT OF THERMAL AND HAD THE FO ANSWER THE CALL FROM THE CABIN. WITH PROPER PRIORITIZING THIS INCIDENT WOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 489538: AFTER DEVIATING AROUND SOME WX; WE PROCEEDED TO THE THERMAL VOR AND TURNED ON COURSE TO BLYTHE. I CONFIRMED THE FREQ AND COURSE OUTBOUND AND PROCEEDED TO PUT MY DEP CHART AWAY. THE WINDS WERE 220 DEGS; 50 KTS; XWIND; AND THE CAPT WAS IN THE HEADING SELECT MODE WHILE HE PROGRAMMED THE FMS. AT THE SAME TIME WE RECEIVED A CALL FROM THE FLT ATTENDANT AND THE CAPT ANSWERED IT. SHORTLY AFTER; I NOTICED THAT WE HAD DRIFTED OFF COURSE AND I INFORMED THE CAPT; WHO IMMEDIATELY TURNED TO INTERCEPT THE COURSE. ZLA THEN CALLED AND INSTRUCTED US TO TURN TO A 350 DEG HDG AND EXPEDITE OUR CLB. CTR ALSO INSTRUCTED A JET TO TURN TO A 350 DEG HDG. ON A 350 DEG HDG WE SPOTTED THE TFC E OF US AND DSNDING. AFTER THE TFC PASSED BELOW US AND PROPER SEPARATION WAS ESTABLISHED; ZLA TURNED US BACK ON COURSE. I UNDERSTAND THAT IT IS THE FLC'S RESPONSIBILITY TO MAINTAIN COURSE AWARENESS AND WE SHOULD HAVE BEEN MORE DILIGENT IN DOING SO.