That's what I've been trying to tell my kid.

It takes much more skill, brains and raw athletic ability (and sometimes a good kick) to win a free game on a pinball machine in a smoky dive bar than to beat Johnny from glee club on a PlayStation, Xbox 360 or Wii video game.

“Yeah, pinball machines are harder because every game on a pinball machine is different. The ball never bounces off a bumper exactly the same way,” said Keith Christianson, founder of the Houston Arcade Group and organizer of the eighth Arcade Expo, coming to the Crowne Plaza Reliant Park Nov. 6-7.

“In a video game, every game is basically the same. The space invaders always march in the same pattern. Everything that can happen is programmed on a computer chip. If you practice enough on a video game, you will learn how to beat it.”

Plus, throughout the history of pinball, the best players usually had a cigarette in their mouth.

“The heyday of pinball was in the '60s and '70s, but they caught on much earlier than that. In the early days, pinball had a negative image. The games were often played in dingy bars and truck stops and rough places. In many cities, you had to be 18 to play pinball,” Christensen said.

“There is no comparison in the popularity of pinball versus video games, though. Video games today are a hundred times more popular than pinball ever was. Video games are mainstream and for the whole family. Pinball wasn't for the family.”

The Arcade Expo will feature more than 175 pinball machines, video games and console games in the Crowne Plaza ballroom. Tickets are $15 per day, or $25 for both days. Once inside, you can play all the games you want for free. The hours are 6 p.m.-2 a.m. Nov. 6 and 9 a.m.-2 a.m. Nov. 7.

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Today's trivia: the Houston Astros franchise was originally called the Houston Colt .45s. What was the original name of the New York Yankees franchise? Multiple choice:

A) New York Highlanders

B) New York Hilltoppers

C) New York Yankees

D) Baltimore Orioles

• My name is Ken H., and I fell off the wagon last weekend.

In a moment of weakness — I'm so ashamed — I ate something … healthy.

I visited the new Beyond Juice store, 8790 FM 1960 in Humble, and tried its exclusive “Meal in a Cup.” My buddy KJ told me about the place. It's a national chain that's just arrived in Houston. There are only two of them, the store in Humble and another one at 4711 Louetta in Spring. Beyond Juice sells breakfast, sandwiches, salads, desserts and power-packed smoothies.

The “Meal in a Cup” thing intrigued me. I like mushing my food together. One of my favorite meals all year is the day after Thanksgiving. I take a big bowl and dump in turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing and gravy — mix them all together — and eat it with a soup spoon.

But “Meal in a Cup” at Beyond Juice is nothing like that. It's a fruit smoothie that's jammed with vitamins and minerals and fiber and other things that, between us, don't interest me. I had the Razzle Dazzle, which was 20 ounces of strawberries, raspberries, banana, papaya nectar, honey, vanilla, deionized ice and Basic Formula.

Basic Formula is a blend of 19 vitamins and amino acids. It's like reading the label on Flintstones Chewables. Razzle Dazzle has more fiber than a bowl of bran cereal, a full day's requirement of a whole bunch of vitamins — and absolutely no fat or grease or hot fudge or cheese.

How'd it taste? I forgot it was good for me.

Trivia answer: D) Baltimore Orioles.

The Yankees were born as the Baltimore Orioles in 1901 and played in the American League of Professional Baseball Clubs. Two years later, the franchise was bought by Bill Devery, who moved the team to New York. They played at Hilltop Park, supposedly the highest point in Manhattan, so the team was renamed the Highlanders. As early as 1904, sportswriters were calling them the Yankees (or Yanks), which was easier to fit in headlines. The team officially changed its name to Yankees in 1913.
