I have some inkling of what you mean about how awful an empty house can be. Of course, I just had a few days of it when my family went down South for a wedding, and even that was strange. I got accustomed to it by the end and started really enjoying being able to walk around talking to myself at normal conversational volume... but then again, that may just be me. And I didn't have exams or a problematic computer.

I also wanted to pipe up and say -- and this will make me sound dysfunctional -- that I am impressed that you buy your own food.