I agree. And phone conversations add multiple dimensions to what written communication lack. I think it's why a lot of people sometimes prefer texting to calling because it is more impersonal and monotonous which eliminates potential awkwardness. Sometimes I do like emailing when I'd rather not speak to whoever I need to talk to, for whatever reason. But yea you do get to know a person fairly well on the phone.
I did have something to write on! I had a notebook that I grabbed beforehand and wrote down whatever I thought was important, like her answers to my questions and a few names. My last internship had me dealing a lot with client & customer relations and I became great at scribbling down whatever I could when on the phone...names, #s, dates, needs, w/e....I woulda been completely incapable of doing my job without my notes....however, those scribbles pretty much only make sense to me because I'm a weirdo like you said and nothing follows any order, logic, or rationale. My supervisor never knew what to make of my notebook. I mean I knew exactly what's in them but whenever I needed to hand it off, ppl thought I was on crack. I loved that. It's a great way of keeping a written account of discreet msg you don't want others to know.