What was going on when I was born?

Lieut. Gov. Mario M. Cuomo had finished a speech, and a woman rose to ask a question. "Governor Como," she began, and Mr. Cuomo raised a hand. "It's Cuo-mo," he corrected her. "I'm separated from Perry Como by a 'u' and about $14 million."

There are two kinds of people in the world -- those who have horror of a vacuum and those with a horror of the things that fill it. Translated into domestic interiors, this means people who live with, and without, clutter. (Dictionary definition: jumble, confusion, disorder.) The reasons for clutter, the need to be surrounded by things, goes deep, from security to status. The reasons for banning objects, or living in as selective and austere an enviornment as possible, range from the esthetic to the neurotic. This is a phenomenon of choice that relates as much to the psychiatrist as to the tastemaker. Some people clutter compulsively, and others just as compulsively t hrow things away. Clutter in its highest and most organized form i s called collecting. Collecting can be done as the Collyer b rothers did it, or it can be done with art and flair. The range i s from oldnewspapers to Faberge. This provides a third category, or what might be called calculated clutter, nwhich the objets d'art, the memorabilia that mark one's milestones and travels, the irrestible and ornamental things that speak to pride, pleasure and temptation, are constrained by decorating devices and hierarchal principles of value. This gives the illusion that one is in control.

Last autumn, candidates for office throughout New York State received a two-page questionnaire in the mail. The first page asked the usual questions about some of the usual issues - capital punishment, welfare, the equal rights amendment, abortion. The second page of questions went beyond the routine. "What is the Bible?" it asked. "Have you ever been born again?" and: "If you stood before heaven's gate and were asked on what grounds you sought admission, how would you reply?"

Thirteen months ago the United States curtailed grain shipments to the Soviet Union in reaction to Moscow's military intervention in Afghanistan. Now President Reagan, who attacked the curb during the election campaign last fall, and again at his news conference last Thursday, as unfair to American farmers, is faced with dilemma. If he lifts the embargo as he has promised, he sends a signal to the Russians of a return to business as usual, even though his Administration has warned of dire consequences for East-West relations if Soviet troops invade Poland. If he does not lift the restriction, he appears to be reneging on a campaign promise.

President Reagan visited Capitol Hill today in search of support for his econimic recovery program, but he found instead stiffening bipartisan resistance to his request for a $50 billion increase in the Federal debtceiling. In a meeting in the seldon-used President's Room in the Capital Senate Democratic leaders told Mr.Reagan that their caucus had voted not to support the increase. Democratic Congressional leaders asked for a got a delay until Friday on the vote on the issue, a move that reflected the Democrats' intention to make the Republicans take the leadership in the politically unpopular step of increasing the Government's deficit. Lack of Support Among G.O.P. In the House of Representatives, only about 100 of 192 Republicans could be counted as supporters of the debt ceiling increase, and the White House has begun a lobbying campaign to pull recalcitrant Republican conservatives into line behind Mr.Reagan's request.

"Before those who practice intolerance, who disdain coexistence, institutions and the most elementary norms of freedom of expression, I want to proclaim once more my confidence in democracy and in the Basque people." - King Juan Carlos of Spain after Basque separatists in Guernica interrupted his speech. (A3:4.)

Gasoline and heating oil prices are rising much fafter than the Reagan Administration predicted when it decontrolled crude oil prices last week, and evidence is mounting that they will climb even further, analysts say. Yesterday, for example, three major suppliers, the Exxon Corporation, Texaco Inc. and the Shell Oil Company, announced new increases for both products. The sharply rising prices are causing anger, confusion and doubt. "I guess the President knows what he's doing," said Sam Lettini of L&M Fuel Oil, a Brooklyn-based home heating oil dealership. "But I just can't figure out how people are going to pay their bills."

People who made profits on stocks last year - there was ample opportunity with the sharp run-up in the stock market during the final days may be able to spare some of their earnings from taxes by taking advantages of the favorable capital gains deduction. But the reporting rules can be complex, and taxpayers often are chagrined to discover that a minor miscalculation about the timing requirements that determine whether a gain is long-term or short-term can result in a major difference in the taxes owed. First, there is the question of which items are considered capital capital assets. The general rule is that all properties are capital assests if not specifically excluded. In addition to stocks, bonds and securities, property used for personal purposes - a home, automobile, jewelry, furniture and clothing, are considered capital assets. But excluded items - inventory, stock in trade, real estate or depreciable property used in a business, copyrights, business accounts or notes receivable and obligations of governmental bodies - are not. Although the Government requires that the profit from the sale of personal property be duly reported, it apparently does not believe that turnabout is fair play. Deductions for losses on the sale of personal property are barred, unless the property was primarily used for business or investment purposes.

The General Motors Corporation announced yesterday that it was transferring its two major subsidiaries from New York to Detroit, dealing an unexpected blow to the Koch administration's efforts to keep jobs in the city. The move will involved about 700 of the 1,100 employees who work in the 50-story General Motors Building, at 59th Street and Fifth Avenue - or nearly two-thirds of the total. The development came as a surprise to Mayor Koch, who was in Albany yesterday when one of several G.M. officials who tried to reach him finally did. Mr. Koch, according to his press secretary, Tom Goldstein, was "saddenend" by the news. Branch Offices Unaffected A 13-paragraph release issued by the corporation stressed that it would continue to maintain its New York headquarters and that local branch offices would not be affected.

The cross examination of Jean S. Harris ended today with her angry denial that she intended to kill Dr. Herman Tarnower and then herself because, as the prosecutor put it, "if you couldn't have him, nobody else would." The 57-year-old defendant, who is accused of murdering the cardiologist in a jealous rage, defended her account of the shooting last March 10, which she has said was an accident. She then rejected new contentions by Geroge Bolen, the prosecutor. He asked the defendant, who was in her seventh day on the witness stand, if it was not true that Dr. Tarnower had told her in a telephone call earlier in the day of the shooting "that he had proposed-marriage to Lynn Tryforos," his 38-year-old medical assistant. 'Clever and Devious' "No," Mrs. Harris replied. "Did he tell you, Mr. Bolen?"

THE ECONOMY President Reagan faced bipartisan resistance to his plan to raise the United States debt ceiling by $50 billion. A Senate Democratic caucus voted not to support the increase, and Republicans are not the target of a lobbying effort on behalf of the plan.(Page A1.) As the President met with the legislative leaders, a list of budget cuts recommended by the Administration circulated in Congress. Targets include social programs and space and energy projects. (A17.) Sales of American-made cars fell 26 percent in the last 10 days of January and dropped 20.1 percent for the month. The 18 largest importers said they sold 176,169 cars in January -- 27.3 percent of the total market-- but sales were 19 percent below January 1980. (D1.)

The two questions that immediately arise when it comes to choosing an interior designer are "What style?" and "How much?" Designers nowadays are easily categorized, and although their styles can range from minimal to traditional, they also tend to fall into in what may be increasingly more important divisions: the lavish spenders versus the budget minded. And, while most designers will undertake projects for different budgets, many tend to specialize. There are those one wouldn't dare call unless willing to spend a small fortune, and others who cheerfully list themselves in the "no-job-is-too-small" category. Two projects by Bruce Zachar, a 28-year old designer who is currently in the materials department of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, the architectural concern, make an interesting contrast.