Stranded in LAX

I guess there could be worse places to be stranded - a Siberian prison comes to mind!
Trying to save the company some dollars I decided to fly from MSP-LAX-OAK this week instead of taking a direct flight to SFO. The direct flight was $1200 - the alternative was only $425. Now I am paying for it. On the way out Monday we got stuck on the tarmac in LAX for 60 minutes as the ground crew went to get "more weight" to balance our plane....Hmmm. Today I arrived in LAX to find my connection to MSP cancelled! UGH! I was hoping to get home before the boys went to bed. Luckily being a frequent traveler I went to the top of the re-booking list and only had to wait 4 hours - plus I kept my confirmed first class seat, got a free meal voucher, and $50 for future travel. Not to bad - of course LAX is packed like sardines and there are no Hollywood types in site. And the best news - I get to fly the same route in 2 weeks. Let's pray there is no deja vu.