Would it be possible to make the "Private Messages" notice blink when there are unread messages? I rarely get one and cannot seem to train myself to look up there, and this would really help draw my attention up there.

You can set it to give you a popup box when you get one.

Go to User CP, Edit Options, Scroll down to Private Messaging, and put a check mark in Show New Private Message Notification Pop-up.

If you have popups blocked, of course, this won't work.

Popups blocked! Wouldn't seem like this would be a big deal for the web-master if somebody gave him or her the job to set it up. I have ads at the top of the forum blinking at me all the time.

Just add this site to the "allowed" pop-up area in your blocker. That's what the rest of us do.

What are you blocking and in what browser? The normal pop-up blocker in IE or Safari won't block the notification of a PM.