dead battery - short or something else?
 

My battery has not been giving any juice after sitting for a either long or short periods. I have a portable jump starter that has been getting a lot of use lately. I had the local shop hook the battery up to its tester and they say it is a good battery (it's only a year old)

I just had an alarm installed and am wondering if they geniuses at Circuit City left something draining the battery when not in use or if I need to look at the alternator. I'm not getting any warning lights or anything on the dash. Any thoughts?

Sounds like a classic case of a circuit continuing to use electricity after the ignition is OFF. Do a search in the archives under:

-battery drain test
-parasitic current draw
-dead battery again

....or any combination of those words.
The common sources are a trunk light or glove box lamp that continues to illuminate or an aftermarket alarm system.

You'll need a current-sensing gauge (ammeter or multimeter) that reads >10amps and some DIY skills.

Hope this helps,
Sherwood