This is an absolute newbie question, so bear with me if it seems completely rediculous…
Is it really necessary to memorize the long vowels/accents? The only place, up to the point to which I’ve studied, where I see it necessary is the abalative singular. But is it okay to neglect learning them when memorizing new vocab, etc.?
Thanks, and I apologize in advance if the question seems rediculous 
Yes. If you’re going to read it properly, it’s just more convenient. You don’t want to be saying AH-me-kus instead of ah-MEE-kus. Plus if you plan to go further on to poetry it will not be a pleasant experience going back over all the words to review accents 
I strongly advise against neglecting the accent rules and vowel lengths. If you just take the time to memorize the accent rules, they will apply to virtually every word and it is really not that hard compared to other languages. The vowel lengths are a little less standardized, but if you want any degree of accuracy in speaking Latin, you should speak it as the Romans did.