What was going on when I was born?

It was taking as long as a day for a motorist to make his way through the lines at the New York Parking Violations Bureau. For those who wanted to pay parking fines so they could register their cars, the bureau office was a confusing and frustrating place. That was before the Rhett brothers stepped in a year and a half ago and cut the wait to only a few minutes, according to the city's Department of Investigation. Posing as employees, the brothers collected the cash fines themselves - and pocketed the money, the authorities charged yesterday.

Brought to its knees by the first hurricane to strike directly at the downtown of a major American city in more than a decade, the city of Houston struggled today to regain its footing. Workers and residents worked feverishly to repair the damage inflicted by Hurricane Alicia, whose eye passed just to the west of downtown Houston Thursday morning. Glaziers and carpenters worked to fill thousands of windows that fell from six major buildings near the corner of Louisiana and Dallas Streets. Architects and builders were debating why some of Houston's dazzling glass towers lost their windows but others did not. Power was restored to most of the city, but nearly a third of a million people remained without electricity today, according to the Houston Lighting and Power Company. The company said it might take a week to restore service fully.

The New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation has approved a series of broad changes designed to restore basic clinic and emergency-room care as the major priority in municipal hospitals, city officials said yesterday. ''We are intent on restoring municipal control over municipal hospitals,'' the president of the hospitals agency, Stanley Brezenoff, said in an interview. ''We also are determined to save the municipal outpatient clinics from indifference or worse.'' The municipal hospital system has, in many ways, fallen under the influence of affiliated medical schools and teaching hospitals.

After the Berezhkovs arrived in Moscow, the Government issued a protest over the incident. Page 3. PARIS, Aug. 19 - ''Let's relax,'' Valentin M. Berezhkov said, to no one in particular. ''What a week.'' The Soviet diplomat loosened his tie, rolled up his sleeves and sighed. After asking a flight attendant for a drink - ''a Beefeater martini'' - he turned to a neighbor and said, ''We deserve a good drink.''

In a sign of its deepening military involvement in Chad, France announced today that it had appointed a brigadier general with experience in colonial wars and African trouble spots to command its troops in Chad. The appointment of the general, Jean Poli, a 54-year-old marine paratrooper, came amid reports that the Government was increasing its ground forces in Chad and was also considering sending combat aircraft. The Defense Ministry refused to comment on the reports, which were carried today by several French newspapers of differing political orientations. But, privately and guardedly, other Government sources confirmed them.

The Brazilian Government is coming under pressure from increasingly diverse elements of the nation to declare a moratorium on the repayment of its $90 billion of foreign debt. Until recently, the calls were heard only from union groups and militant legislators from the opposition party. But now they are coming from businessmen, establishment economists and legislators from the Government's own party. ''The two ends of Brazilian society - the Federation of Industries of the State of Sao Paulo and the Brazilian Communist Party - seem to be coming together on this,'' said Thales Ramalho, a prominent Congressman in the Government party. The proponents of a moratorium are not calling for a unilateral rupture of repayments that could close off future assistance from the banking community. Instead, they envision renegotiated terms of payment, ''supportable'' interest rates and extended grace periods. The proposals call for lapses of two to three years before payments of principal and interest would resume.

The economy grew even faster in the second quarter of the year than originally reported, and inflation was even lower, the Government said today. The gross national product, after adjustment for inflation, grew at a pace of 9.2 percent a year from April through June, while prices inched up at only a 3.5 percent annual rate, the Commerce Department reported. Adding to this good news for the economy was a preliminary report today that corporate profits, after taxes, rose 14.8 percent, the largest increase in almost eight years. Manufacturing concerns, which were hard hit during the recession, and banks and savings and loan associations accounted for most of the increase.

The authorities tonight dissolved the Union of Writers, one of Poland's most important intellectual organizations. The action against the union, which along with other intellectual and artistic groups had been suspended since the imposition of martial law in December 1981, caused shock in literary and liberal political circles here. Since the Government controls the publishing mechanism, the writers' union was essentially a club with a certain amount of political clout. But while the dissolution has little immediate practical impact, but there are likely to be repercussions in a nation that treasures its tradition of an independent intellectual class.

When the volcano called Black Mountain erupted eight years ago, spewing ash over roofs of this city and covering the cotton bolls with gray dust, the people of Leon, as they often do when they are afraid, prayed. Three weeks later the eruption ended. Leon still has Black Mountain soot caked inside its church steeples. But more important, a newcomer is told, to thank the Virgin Mary for the town's deliverance, Leon has gained a new religious festival.

Two armed men stole jewelry valued at $3.75 million from a Cartier store in this seaside resort today, the police said.

At least 70 people have died in outbreaks of violence after last weekend's elections for state governors. The violence has been mostly limited to 2 of Nigeria's 19 states, Oyo and Ondo, both in western Nigeria and both inhabited mainly by members of the Yoruba tribe, traditionally strong supporters of the Unity Party of Nigeria. According to results announced this week by the independent Federal Electoral Commission, Unity Party candidates lost the governorships of both states to candidates from President Shehu Shagari's National Party of Nigeria. The Oyo state police commissioner, Umaru Omolowo, said Thursday that 33 people had been killed in Oyo since last weekend, 12 as the result of police efforts to quell disturbances. At least 40 people are said to have been killed in Ondo, including 2 National Party congressional candidates who were reportedly set on fire by an angry mob.

President Reagan has decided not to send more United States military advisers to El Salvador, a White House spokesman said today. Larry Speakes, chief White House spokesman, said Mr. Reagan conveyed his decision Thursday to his national security adviser, William P. Clark, after considering Pentagon and State Department recommendations. Mr. Reagan is vacationing at his ranch. The President also authorized continued evaluation of the use of additional United States military personnel in nontraining capacities in El Salvador. An Administration official said ''less than a dozen'' people would be involved.