A guide to hippie life

The book offers the essentials to leading a bohemian existence.
NEW YORK (AP) -- Want to become a hippie but don't know where to start? Perhaps you already are a hippie and want to make sure you're doing it right.
In either case, there's help in "The Hippie Handbook: How To Tie-Dye a T-Shirt, Flash a Peace Sign, and Other Essential Skills for the Carefree Life" (Chronicle Books, $12.95).
In their 176-page paperback, author Chelsea Cain (who grew up on a hippie commune in Iowa) and illustrator Lia Miternique offer practical instructions on how to look, act, think and live the flower-child lifestyle.
What to name the hippie baby? Freedom, Harmony, Coyote and Revolution are among the acceptable choices on a list that ranges from Allegra to Ziggy.
For those looking for a place to meet other hippies, suggestions include a Phish concert, kite store, banjo lessons and protests. Break the ice with "You look just like Ali McGraw" or one of the other lines offered.
There are instructions for crafts, including making an origami crane, converting an old pair of jeans into a skirt and taking care of a fern ("no hippie pad is complete without at least one"); and recipes for vegan chocolate cake, peanut butter and honey sandwiches, and "oregano" brownies.
Want to start a commune, milk a goat or organize a protest? Need to know what hippies drive and how to drive it? Wondering what kind of employment is hippie-friendly? This book has them covered.
Appendixes offer lists of hippie movies and books, and a glossary of terms.